Italy’s Lippi holds firm on Cassano decision

ITALY coach Marcello Lippi has defended his decision to again snub Sampdoria playmaker Antonio Cassano, selecting eight Juventus players for the Group Eight leaders’ trip to take on Georgia in Tbilisi.

Despite Italy’s Confederations Cup flop and concerns about a lack of creativity in the side, the former Juve boss has made only limited changes to his squad.

Lippi has settled on a 4-4-2 formation rather than the awkward 4-3-3, but the World Cup winner is under the media microscope more than ever after losses to Egypt and Brazil in the Confederations tournament in June.