Hello everyone and welcome to the final International Series blog of the summer. So far we took England to the World Cup Quarter Final after a dramatic playoff with Denmark to qualify. We then had 4 incredible seasons with Northern Ireland cumulating in a trip to the 2002 World Cup where we got knocked out by eventual winners Spain.

I put a vote out on twitter to see who the final team of the International Series would be and Italy were the winners from the choices of Italy, Germany, France & Spain. So we arrive in Rome to take Italy to the World Cup and we get the list of Friendlies for the season.

Brazil, Spain and France will be a real test for us.

Next job is to assemble the squad for the forthcoming Friendlies and Qualifiers.

I’ve gone for the more well known players with a couple of youngsters. Peruzzi will be number 1 with Buffon and Pagotto playing backup. Pagotto is someone who has won player of the year and European player of the year a few times in previous saves. Delighted with the defenders. Midfield is a bit light but plenty of quality. Upfront there is an embarrassing amount of quality to choose from.

We come to our first friendly then and it’s away against Belgium. Here is how we lineup.

Not a great start at all. In the first half we dominate and have some great chances but can’t find a way through. In the last 5 minutes of the half Belgium come on strong and Luis Oliveira scores a powerful shot into the roof of the net. In the second half Belgium are on the front foot until we switch formation which sees Del Piero sprint clear and he buries his shot into the corner. Belgium push again but we keep them out and we hit the bar in the 87th minute but have to settle for a draw.

Next up for us is a trip to Georgia for a World Cup Qualifier. We are currently top of the group by 1 point ahead of England. Here is the line up.

It’s a win but we weren’t convincing at all. We batter Georgia but it’s an own goal that puts us one up when Lobjanidze turns the ball into his own goal from a low cross by Scarchilli. In the second half Vieri gets played through by a lovely chip from Signori and he races clear and slots it past Schkeidze. A win but not a brilliant performance.

Our next game is our final World Cup Qualifier and it’s against England. A point will see us go through to the World Cup without the need of a playoff. I keep the same formation and the only personnel change is Del Piero out injured with Chiesa coming in.

A really tight game here as both teams cancel each other out. Vieri gives us the lead when he shrugs off Keown and fires a blistering shot into the top corner. Seaman had no chance. In the second half Endgland push forward and get rewarded when Scholes deflected shot falls to Graeme Le Saux who guides the ball home beautifully. A draw is a fair result in the end and sends us off to France 98.

Confirmation of the final Qualifying table.

England will play Greece in the playoffs for a place in France.

Next up for us is a home game against Brazil. A true clash of the titans.

It’s another close game and chances come at a premium. In the first half both teams trade blows but land nothing but glancing shots. In the second half Ronaldo gets played through and Peruzzi does brilliantly to even parry the shot but unfortunately Rai is on hand to tap home the opener. We push for an equaliser and finally get one in the 87th minute when Vieri slots home under Zetti.

The draw for the World Cup is made and it’s a decent draw for us.

Our next game is a trip to Denmark.

Christian Vieri again gives us the win. He is in such great form for us at the moment. He grabs the winner early in the second half when Signori hits a 40 yard wonder ball over the top for Vieri to bring down with his first touch and smashes the ball home with his second shot. A moment of magic from both players.

Big Friendly next for us as we travel to the Bernabeu to take on Spain.

Spain completely outplay us here. The man who causes all the problems for us is Ivan De La Pena. In the 12th minute he swings in a corner and Fernando times his run perfectly to head home the opener. Every good thing that happens comes from De La Pena. In the second half De La Pena adds a goal to his assist when Fernando has a shot blocked by Peruzzi and De La Pena follows it in. We don’t even lay a glove on Spain throughout.

Our next game is an away trip to Greece.

It’s a good win for us and and a good performance. Del Piero gives us the lead with a well struck half volley inside the area. Robbiati then weaves his way inside and curls one into the top corner beautifully. In the second half Del Piero plays a wonderful 40 yard pass and picks out Vieri who coolly slots it home. Solid win for us.

Our next friendly is against France. Another test to see where we are against the best.

It’s another tight game but it’s another loss. Henry gave France the lead when he stormed through our defence and scores with a trademark curl into the bottom corner. We have chances in both halves but can’t find a way through. France also push for a 2nd to kill us off but we stand firm and don’t allow them through.

We have one final friendly now against Zambia.

A dominant win as expected. Del Piero gets himself ready for the World Cup with a first half hattrick. Choongo then over hits a back pass to score an own goal to make it 4-0. Inzaghi then gets one just before half time for 5. In the second half we make 3 changes and Vieri grabs 2 from the bench to make it a very easy 7-0 win.

That’s it for this update. We will complete the series in the next post as we take Italy to the 1998 World Cup in France.