I honestly don't think Cristiano Zanetti is eyeing a spot in Lippis World Cup squad.
As for Birindelli being average, I disagree, obviously. A guy with more than 300 games for Juventus is clearly anything but average. He was, and probably still is, however not the flashiest of people and he never demanded a place in the starting 11. He did his job whenever called upon. His performances were even good enough to earn him a place in the Italian national team. Average? I beg to differ. In Birindellis first season he was a regular. That season ended, as I'm sure you are aware of, with a Scudetto and a Champions League final. In addition to Birindelli, Marcello Lippi had the pleasure of working with players like Zalayeta, Amoruso, Pecchia and Dimas. Birindelli featured in more games than both Conte and Deschamps. The weakest link? Both me and Marcello Lippi disagrees. In Serie B he was once again the number one choice, and he played the most games of them all. I'd say he was a better player than Balzaretti, Boumsong, Paro, Marchionni, Palladino, Zebina, Giannichedda, Kovac, Zalayeta, Legrottaglie, De Ceglie and Piccolo, at the very least. Again, was Birindelli really the weakest link?
And yes, I do have a soft spot for hard working Italians who doesn't bitch and whine whenever placed on the bench. And no, I did not register only to cry about Zanettis transfer, I've been registered here for a while, but this latest move from Secco completely baffled me.