Road to Recovery

The midfielder is believed to have sustained a second-degree strain of his left calf muscle during Thursday's 2-1 loss to Mexico in an international friendly. Pirlo left the team's training camp and returned home to recover.

The Azzurri are remaining tight-lipped about his status, as it's not known whether the AC Milan star will be full healthy in time for Italy's opening match at the World Cup, on June 14 against Paraguay.

"Pirlo's is an injury that worries me, but luckily there is time," said Italian national team doctor Enrico Castellacci.

"However, everybody reacts differently and Pirlo will be monitored on a daily basis."

Teams have 24 hours prior to their first game to make an injury substitution to their roster, so Italy has some time left to make a decision about Pirlo.

What would it mean if the AC Milan star isn't on the plane to South Africa?

Well, it would rob the Azzurri of one of the best playmakers in the game and their midfield general who orchestrates the attack.

Pirlo, 31, displays great on-field vision, and he anticipates the run of play and impeccably distributes the ball to teammates in attacking positions.

With over 65 appearances, Pirlo also provides Italy with leadership and experience on the field. His name is almost always the first to appear on the Italian team sheet, and whenever Italy ventures forward in attack, he is the one who pulls the strings.

And after coming off of a pretty average season (by his incredibly high standards) for AC Milan, Pirlo was looking to make amends in South Africa and reaffirm his status as one of the game's elite midfielders.

The loss of Pirlo would hurt Italy, but the Azzurri do have other creative options, including bringing forward Giuseppe Rossi (who can also play in the centre of midfield) back into the fold - the Villarreal star was cut from the preliminary squad by manager Marcelo Lippi earlier this week.

Italy has other options, too, in the form of Daniele De Rossi and Claudio Marchisio.

Are any of these players in the same class as Pirlo? No, but any one of them could ably fill in for the AC Milan star without the Azzurri losing much.