Marcello Lippi expected his Italy side to qualify without too much trouble from a modest group. And while they should still make it to the last 16 of the World Cup despite their abysmal 1-1 draw with New Zealand, he can no longer keep up the pretence that they will improve sufficiently to make a real impression in South Africa.

Their failure to beat the outsiders was brought into context when you look at the players Kiwis boss Ricki Herbert has at his disposal. One used to play for AFC Wimbledon and another is a part-timer who had to be given special leave by his employers to play in the competition.

The Italians might possess World Cup winners, but they are a shambling imitation of the side that went all the way in Germany four years ago. And the new generation of players coming through don’t look good enough at the moment.

Their saving grace is that they are playing a team worse than them in the final round of fixtures. But even if they manage to scrape past the Slovaks, don’t expect them to go much further.