All the qualities we traditionally associate with the Italian game were well represented by the national team regulars during the 1970s.
Defensive solidity was provided by the impassible Zoff in goal shielded by the technical elegance of defenders like Scirea and Cabrini in front of him. Smart and Streetwise players like Tardelli and Boninsegna occupied midfield and forward positions while Gentile and Benetti were poster boys for that ferocious win-at-all-costs mentality that's hard-wired into the Italian footballer psyche.