Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti says it's been a "transitional" period for Italy this World Cup year.
It was the worst Azzurri tournament of all time, going out bottom of the group behind Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand.
"Italy could've done a lot better against Slovakia and New Zealand. This is beyond all dispute," he told Il Giornale newspaper.
"We also knew this was going to be a transitional World Cup. At the end of the day, these were the players Marcello Lippi wanted and Serie A didn't provide him with huge new alternatives."
