Fabio Cannavaro bemoans Italian defending

Italian World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro has claimed that defending in Serie A has suffered a slump in recent years.

The former centre-back believes that the three-man backline that coaches now favour is masking the inefficiencies of players.

"The three-man defence has become fashionable because there are now fewer good defenders in one-on-one situations," Cannavaro told Sky Sports Italia.

"We, as a nation, must return to our origins because we have always been good at defending and we shouldn't be ashamed of that."

Cannavaro called an end to his 19-year professional career in 2011 following successful spells with Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid.