For the first time since 1958, Italy will not be at the World Cup finals. After a qualification campaign that never saw them look confident or cohesive, the Azzurri will spend next summer watching the tournament on television. As they do so, the players will reflect on their part in what has undoubtedly been one of the worst two-year stints in the history of a proud national team of one of the game’s most prominent footballing countries.

Is there anyone left willing to defend Giampiero Ventura? We tried, we really did, but his decisions both before and during the defeat to Sweden just proved he has reached the end of the road and his advocates the end of their tethers.

The tally reads six wins, two draws and one defeat. In a World Cup qualifying group that also contains Spain, some might say that Italy haven’t fared too badly, as they have now secured a play-off berth after La Roja expectedly secured an automatic place into the summer 2018 tournament. The Azzurri probably will eventually qualify, even though it will have taken Coach Giampiero Ventura longer than he would’ve hoped.

When Italy visit the Amsterdam Arena on Tuesday evening, Danny Blind won’t be on the bench. His assistant manager, Fred Grim, takes what must be the least appealing hot-seat in football right now. You could still bet on Holland pulling off an improbable upset using this bonus code for the UK, but the fact remains Blind’s catastrophic reign was just the culmination of a long slide into the abyss.

The Stadio Renzo Barbera in Sicily will be the venue for Italy’s clash with Albania on Friday night. Whilst this World Cup Qualifier will take place away from the comforting surroundings of the Stadio Olimpico, the game itself will have a very familiar feel to it. Serie A is home to many who have made the short journey across the Adriatic Sea to ply their trade in Italy’s top tier. Whether the familiarity will be a positive is yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure, both teams know their enemies intimately.

Giampiero Ventura's Italy squad for the upcoming matches against Albania and the Netherlands is another sign that the Azzurri guard is changing. Since succeeding Antonio Conte last summer, the former Torino boss has shown both by his words and his actions that he is ready to give a new generation of players their chance to shine in the Nazionale.

On March 24, Italy and Albania will face off in Group G of the World Cup qualifying campaign, with the Azzurri coming into the game as heavy favourites. Despite the odds leaning towards Giampiero Ventura’s men, they will come up against a solid Albania side led by former Udinese and Torino boss Gianni De Biasi, who will be looking to get something out of this difficult clash.