THOSE of us in the football commentary business are prone to spending hours on planes and trains cramming for summer tournaments. Factoids here, trivia items there, scribbled on to a colour-coded sheet in a tiny notebook for later use, can be worth their weight in gold come the heat of World Cup battle.

While organising squad notes during this international week, it hit me properly for the first time that Italy, the four times winners, won’t actually be involved. Yes, we’ve had four months to digest the Azzurri’s failure to make it to the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. But when I visualise the tournament without them, a feeling of sadness creeps in.

There have been great Italian sides and poor ones, too. Yet Italy, whether superb or terrible, bold or cautious, just write irresistible scripts. Even if the football is dull, there will inevitably be a compelling Italian story to narrate

I have always thought it a lazy generalisation to focus on their defensive prowess and tactical acumen. Yes, their great sides of 1982 and 2006 possessed these qualities in abundance. But they could also attack cleverly, decisively and create artistically. For me Paolo Rossi and Andrea Pirlo sum up those two World Cup-winning teams just as much as stalemate specialists Claudio Gentile and Fabio Cannavaro.

Whether or not you share my disappointment at Italy’s absence this year, there is one Italian who just about everyone can get behind. Gianluigi Buffon is the goalkeeper we all wish played for our country. From the way he sings the national anthem with such gusto, to the manner of his on pitch comportment, it’s hard not to root for Gigi, especially at 40.

When Italy were ousted by a deserving Sweden in last autumn’s play-off at the San Siro, a tearful Buffon uttered the words “lo siento” which literally means “I’m sorry” but in a more emotional way than a straightforward apology would offer.

Buffon indicated he would retire from international football. No one could take issue with the decision made by Italy’s record caps holder with 175 appearances to his name. Yet it seemed a shame that there would be no chance for him to say goodbye in more uplifting circumstances.

Thankfully Buffon has had a change of heart and will get the farewell he deserves after all. The death of Davide Astori and the chance to honour his memory seems to have played at least some part in Buffon’s about turn.

In the squad for the friendlies against Argentina and England, caretaker coach Luigi Di Biagio played him on Friday in the Italian’s 2-0 defeat to Argentina, so Wembley on Tuesday could be his last game. Mind you, there are May friendlies at home that might also appeal to “Superman”.

Di Biagio, the country’s Under-21 coach and previously a hard-nosed midfielder who went to two Word Cups with Italy, is the interim solution following the sacking of Gian Piero Ventura. In retrospect Ventura, who worked wonders at Torino, seemed ill equipped for the challenges of national team management.

There was an air of negativity pervading the squad and a lot of it was down to an inferiority complex against their chief rivals in the qualifying group, Spain who beat them 3-1 away and 3-0 at home.

I spent the weeks leading up to the play-off in Campania and Umbria where virtually no one seemed to believe in the Azzurri, or more particularly in Ventura.

The urbane Carlo Ancelotti has the look of the obvious choice as Italy’s next coach but also finds himself in demand at top clubs around Europe. Ditto for Antonio Conte, if he and Chelsea part ways.

The question that is often asked is, where are the younger versions of Del Piero, Totti, Chiellini and Bonucci? The stark answer is they are thin on the Serie A ground. Di Biagio’s squad is not, as some expected, filled with youngsters. A couple of 20-year olds with promise were included but still have a long way to go. Federico Chiesa, the Fiorentina winger is the son of former Italy international Enrico Chiesa and possesses obvious natural talent. Patrick Cutrone of Milan, a striker with a strong physical presence, learned a lot working with Filippo Inzaghi in his earlier years. Yet he made his Italy Under-21 debut as recently as last September.

So whoever takes over the reins permanently, can’t completely get rid of the old guard.

Italy’s elimination was their own doing, but I’m still going to miss them in Russia.

HANS-JOACHIM Watzke, long serving CEO of Borussia Dortmund, believes the current squad is better in football terms than the Dortmund sides who won the Bundesliga in 2011 and 2012 under Jurgen Klopp.

Initially, you think he can’t be serious. They are, after all, 18 points behind Bayern and trail Ruhr rivals Schalke in the battle for second place.

But then you look again and wonder if Watzke might have a point. There is an enormous amount of talent yet Dortmund are making heavy weather of it. Their recent elimination from the Europa League by Salzburg said everything about under-performance.

Having had three different coaches in 2017 alone, this was perhaps always going to be a strange season for Borussia Dortmund. They have gone from Thomas Tuchel, gifted but accused of lacking people skills, to Peter Bosz, who initially scaled heights before plumbing depths due to the lack of a Plan B, to the incumbent Peter Stoger.

A likeable bespectacled Austrian, Stoger was offered the job in December just a week after being sacked by bottom club, Koln. It is hard to imagine such a scenario in the Premier League. But Stoger remains well respected after years of making a little go a long way.

With the emphasis on stability, results improved but the Salzburg outcome has weakened Stoger’s position. In any case, Stoger’s contract expires in the summer and it is probable Dortmund will replace him. It feels like the time for a new Klopp and a bold, new chapter at a club that attracts 80,000 plus at every home game.

Will Watzke and the decision makers pull out all the stops to entice 30-year old Wunderkind Julian Nagelsmann from Hoffenheim? It would be quite the coup.