While Juventus had eleven representatives in the 2022 World Cup, the figure would have been higher if it wasn’t for Italy’s noted absence.

For the second edition in a row, the Azzurri were the biggest absentees on the global stage following another botched qualifying campaign.

But after seeing how the big event unfolded, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese can’t help but wonder how far would Italy have gone in Qatar 2022.

Tavallaey argues that Italians tend to rest on their laurels after winning a tournament, so adding a World Cup to their Euro 2020 trophy would have been unlikely in any case, but based on the general level, they could have reached the semi-final, according the journalist.

For his part, Garganese adds that all top teams in the tournament had their weaknesses, including crowned champions Argentina and their runners-up France, so Roberto Mancini’s men would have stood a chance.