Italy’s World Cup Woes: Oliseh Blames Lack Of Talent After 3rd Consecutive Miss

Super Eagles legend Sunday Oliseh has pinpointed a lack of talent as the reason behind Italy’s failure to qualify for a third consecutive FIFA World Cup.

The Azzurri faced further heartbreak after a 4-1 penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina in Tuesday’s European qualifying play-off. The match, which saw Italy reduced to ten men from the second half, finished 1-1 after both regular and extra time.

The four-time World Cup winners last participated in the tournament in Brazil in 2014, where they exited in the group stage.

Reacting to the loss against Bosnia, Oliseh posted on his X account: “Watching this World Cup play-off final for Italy is a nightmare. It is genuinely heartbreaking to see what happens to a great football nation when they miss back-to-back World Cups. Seeing them eliminated by Bosnia and missing out for a third straight time is more than just a bad game—it is a total disaster for the soul of Italian football.

“The team looks broken. The players have no confidence, they look like they’ve forgotten how to play at the top level, and the talent just isn’t there anymore. Having played in Italy myself, I can tell you I have never seen an Italian team play this poorly in my entire life. I feel so sad for my Italian friends back in Italy who have to live through this. It is alarming and deeply sad.”

As a Super Eagles player, Oliseh notably faced Italy in the round of 16 at the 1994 World Cup. The Azzurri, despite playing with ten men, secured a 2-1 victory thanks to a brace from Roberto Baggio.