The 1-0 aggregate play-off defeat to Sweden means there will be no "Fratelli d'Italia" being passionately sung at a World Cup for the first time since 1958.
Italy have stopped producing top quality defenders — the position which made them of the top footballing powerhouses — and that is a problem.
They are in the midst a major identity crisis, and Giorgio Chiellini insists the fault lies with world football's obsession to copy Pep Guardiola's style.
AFP
AFP
The Azzurri have been famous for their "Catenaccio" system, but the pressures of modern football dictate top teams cannot be fashionable without an attacking style of play.
And Juventus defender Chiellini insists Italy have been caught out by the introduction of the "Tika-Taka" era of football, which has stopped them producing elite defenders.
Speaking ahead of the first left against Sweden, he explained: "Guardiola-ism has ruined Italian defenders a bit — now defenders know how to set the tone of play and they can spread the ball, but they don't know how to mark.
"It's a great pity because we're losing our DNA a bit and some of those characteristics which had made us excel in the world."
And not just in terms of age, but in knowledge of winning major trophies.
It was very rare for an Italian player to establish himself into the first team until he was in his mid-20s, with intelligence and understanding more highly regarded than pace or stamina.
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