Italy asks for time

Caretaker Italy coach Luigi Di Biagio says the current crop of players must be given time to grow - and make mistakes on the way - as the traditional soccer superpower begins a rebuilding job in the wake of a shocking failure to qualify for the World Cup.

A late penalty by Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne earned it a 1-1 friendly draw with England at Wembley on Tuesday with a display much improved from its 2-0 loss to Argentina last Friday.

While England and Argentina can kick on for the World Cup in Russia, Italy will be looking in from the outside for the first time in 60 years - 1958 was the last time it failed to qualify for the finals.