Marcello Lippi has offers to coach in the Barclays Premier League, according to his agent.

OUR football correspondent LIAM MACKEY is back in top form and full of energy.

OUTGOING captain Fabio Cannavaro insists changes are needed in Italian football or the team could face a lengthy wait before regaining the World Cup.

The Italian press pulled no punches this morning as they dissected the Azzurri’s World Cup failure.

ITALY coach Marcello Lippi took full responsibility for his side’s World Cup group exit, admitting the reigning champions had played with “terror in their hearts, heads and legs”.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi took full responsibility for his side’s World Cup group exit, admitting his side had played with “terror in their heart, head and legs”.

ITALY coach Marcello Lippi is remaining calm ahead of his team’s final World Cup Group F match against Slovakia today.

NEW ZEALAND coach Ricki Herbert was ecstatic last night after world champions Italy were saved from humiliation against his team of minnows only by a controversial penalty.

ITALY goalkeeper Federico Marchetti is excited about the opportunity to fill in for injured veteran Gianluigi Buffon tomorrow against New Zealand.

DEFENDING champions Italy had to come from behind to salvage a draw in their World Cup Group F opener against Paraguay in Cape Town last night.

Italy 1 Paraguay 1

Italy coach Marcello Lippi insists he will not rush chief playmaker Andrea Pirlo back from injury at the World Cup.

ITALY coach Marcello Lippi has dropped the strongest hint yet that his country’s best goalscorer will not start tonight’s World Cup Group F opener with Paraguay.

FORMER France defender Marcel Desailly believes the mood in les Bleus’ camp is upbeat ahead of their World Cup opener against Uruguay tomorrow night.

FIORENTINA coach Cesare Prandelli has signed a four-year contract to take over as Italy boss when Marcello Lippi steps down after the World Cup.

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli moved a step closer to taking over as Italy boss today with reports suggesting he has signed a four-year contract to succeed Marcello Lippi after the World Cup.

Italy fans will have to wait until May 11 to find out if Francesco Totti is to return to the national team, according to Azzurri coach Marcello Lippi.

SPAIN gave further proof of why they are one of the favourites for World Cup glory this summer after seeing off France 2-0 in Paris last night to continue their run of form.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has revealed Alessandro Nesta will not be coming out of international retirement.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has left the door open for Luca Toni to return to the national team.

ITALY international defender Giorgio Chiellini looks certain to stay with Juventus despite attracting interest from Manchester City and Manchester United.

NELSON MANDELA proclaimed that it has been worth the long wait for the World Cup to arrive on African soil, but Brazil and Portugal may not be feeling quite so welcoming after last night’s draw.

Italy 0 Holland 0

GIOVANNI Trapattoni believes that the days when managers like himself and Alex Ferguson could rule by fear are long gone.

FORMER Italy coach Dino Zoff last night hit out at Azzurri boss Marcelo Lippi for his negative reaction to fans in Parma following the Azzurri’s narrow victory over Cyprus on Wednesday night.

Former Italy coach Dino Zoff has criticised national team boss Marcelo Lippi for his negative reaction to fans in Parma following the Azzurri’s narrow victory over Cyprus last night.

Francesco Totti is considering performing a U-turn and making himself available to the Italy national team again.

YOU can usually tell what gets an Italian manager riled. For Giovanni Trapattoni it seems to be the Andy Reid question. For Marcello Lippi on Sunday it was more the Giovanni Trapattoni question.

ITALY have made it, and with a match to spare, just as they did when they won the World Cup in 1982 and 2006, as Marcello Lippi was keen to point out.

Marcello Lippi insists he will not renew his contract before the World Cup finals, prompting speculation over the Italy coach’s future.

Italy boss Marcello Lippi has warned the Republic of Ireland he intends to wrap up automatic qualification for next summer’s World Cup finals in Dublin tonight.

WITH his Italian side top of Group 8, and needing just one point from their last two games to secure qualification for next year’s World Cup finals, you would think Marcello Lippi would be full of the joys of life right now. You would be wrong.

Italy boss Marcello Lippi tonight insisted the Fabio Cannavaro saga was at an end.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi gave few clues about his line-up for tomorrow's World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

Fabio Cannavaro is to join the Italy squad in Coverciano as originally planned on Sunday despite being under the cloud of drug test controversy.

ITALY will need to display character to handle the problems the Republic of Ireland will inevitably cause them in tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier at Croke Park, Gianluigi Buffon said last night.

ITALY must brace themselves for intense Celtic passion on and off the field when they meet the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, midfielder Daniele De Rossi has said.

The Republic of Ireland have not given up hope of pipping reigning champions Italy in the race to next summer’s World Cup finals.

MARCELLO LIPPI yesterday hailed Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni’s management skills and stressed his Italy side would be foolish to play for a point in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier at Croke Park.

DAMIEN DUFF out, Steven Reid out, Caleb Folan out, Darron Gibson out – the news might be all bad on the injury front but, as the rest of the Irish squad convened in Malahide yesterday to begin preparations for the game against Italy, Giovanni Trapattoni struck a decidedly upbeat tone.

Italy need just one point to qualify for the World Cup but coach Marcello Lippi insists they will be playing to win in Ireland on Saturday.

The coach of Republic of Ireland rivals Italy has said that Antonio Cassano will have to wait before finding out if he is to be included in his World Cup squad.

ITALY may be within touching distance of sealing a place in next year’s World Cup finals at South Africa but manager Marcello Lippi is leaving nothing to chance.

BARELY four minutes into Wednesday night’s game between Italy and Bulgaria the Turin crowd was already aware that something had changed.