Soccer-World Cup Group F news - Italy/NZ/Paraguay/Slovakia

                                
  LONDON, May 31 (Reuters) - Latest news from World Cup Group
F ahead of the June 11-July 11 tournament in South Africa.
ITALY
                                
 Italy coach Marcello Lippi continues to experiment with
formations in their Alpine training camp with a 4-2-3-1 looking
his current favourite.
                                
 Alberto Gilardino has been leading the line with Antonio Di
Natale and Vincenzo Iaquinta out wide and Claudio Marchisio
playing in the hole.
                                
 "I like Marchisio in that position," Lippi, to be replaced
by Fiorentina's Cesare Prandelli after the World Cup, told
reporters.
                                
 The 62-year-old added he would only reveal after the
tournament why he is leaving his post.
                                
 
                                
 NEW ZEALAND
                                
 After a day off following their surprise victory over Serbia
on Saturday, the All Whites were due to resume full training on
Monday with Chris Killen, who skipped the Serbia game to get
married in England, joined in camp by back-up midfielder Cole
Peverley.
                                
 Peverley has been brought in as injury cover for Tim Brown,
who is still recovering from shoulder surgery.
                                
 The win over Serbia has been hailed as one of the greatest
by New Zealand with John Adshead, who coached the All Whites to
the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain, saying he had no doubt of
the significance of the victory.
                                
 "We've never looked like beating a team of that quality (in
the past) to be absolutely honest," Adshead said.
                                
 The Kiwis are training in the spa resort of Bad Waltersdorf
in Austria ahead of this week's friendly against Slovenia in
Maribor.
                                
 PARAGUAY
                                
 Coach Gerardo Martino said after Paraguay's 2-2 draw with
Ivory Coast at Evian-les-Bains in France at the weekend that he
was unhappy with his team's defending at set pieces.
                                
 "Our deficit was at dead ball situations, and our opponents
are scoring a lot of goals against us that way," Martino was
quoted as saying in the Asuncion daily La Nacion.
                                
 "I think we played well in the last 25 minutes since Ivory
Coast controlled the ball in the first half," said Martino,
whose team fought back from two goals down.
                                
 
                                
 SLOVAKIA
                                
 Centre back Martin Skrtel said he felt no effects of a
three-month injury layoff and was happy with his own performance
as well as with the team's effort in a 1-1 warm-up draw with
Cameroon.
                                
 "We worked very well defensively, we kept them at bay for
most of the match and I think this is a positive result to build
on," said the Liverpool defender who had broken a metatarsal
bone in his right foot in February.
                                
 The Slovaks play Costa Rica in their final warm-up on
Saturday before heading out for their first major tournament as
an independent nation.
 (Reporting by Mark Meadows, Simon Evans, Rex Gowar and Zoran
Milosavljevic)
 (Editing by Mike Collett; To query or comment on this story
emailsportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)