DUISBURG, Germany -- Marcello Lippi has been saying for the past month that Italy's strength is its teamwork.

There are no individual stars on the field, just a huge amount of team spirit.

With Italy's 11 tournament goals coming from 10 players, the Azzurri's biggest driving force may be Lippi himself.

"Beyond his technical merits, he has qualities that I've never seen in anyone else," goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said Friday. "A lot of people said before that a coach who has led a club like he has couldn't win the World Cup.

"But with a bit of humbleness, brains, experience and intelligence, all traits he's shown he possesses, I think you can do great things."

In eight seasons at Juventus before taking over Italy, Lippi won five Serie A titles, one Italian Cup, four Italian Supercups, the 1996 Champions League, the European Supercup and Intercontinental Cup.

What seems to most separate Lippi from his predecessors is his attacking instinct.

Lippi had four forwards on the field, two as midfielders, when Italy scored two goals in the final minutes of its 2-0 extra-time win over Germany in the semifinals. All six forwards have scored at the tournament.

For a team that was once famous for its lockdown "catenaccio" defense -- in which the entire team retreated in front of its goal and attempted to score only on counterattacks -- this was a major development.

"They were the ones with the catenaccio, not us. That was an important signal Lippi gave us," Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro said.

For the most part, Lippi refuses to discuss individual members of his team or explain his lineup choices, even after games. He quickly loses his temper when a reporter even hints at a tactical question.

"If I tell you the lineup beforehand, you'll go down and ask one of the poor guys that's left out how he feels and you'll take half of one of his words and create controversy," Lippi said before Italy's second-round win over Australia, swearing and climbing halfway out of his chair at one point as if he was going to walk out of a new conference.

Midfielder Gennaro Gattuso appreciates Lippi's straightforward approach.

"On a personal level, he always tells things straight to people's faces," Gattuso said. "Sometimes it bothers people, but in the locker room he's been able to obtain everyone's respect. This team really reflects the personality of its coach."

Even the media are starting to come around and support Lippi. But they continue to report that Lippi has already made up his mind to leave the national team after the World Cup, with Manchester United the latest supposed destination.

Guido Rossi, the former senator called in to lead the Italian soccer federation during a massive corruption scandal, has called for Lippi to stay, saying that's what "the furor of the people" demands.

Several players have also said they hope Lippi doesn't go.

"We hope he's received the message from the team and stays," Cannavaro said.

One of Lippi's role models is Enzo Bearzot, who coached Italy to its last World Cup title in 1982.

"Lippi has shown himself to be a great leader of men, and that comes ahead of the fact that he's a great technical coach of a very strong team," Bearzot told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "He's worked very hard for two years and now he's reaping the fruits of his labor, in very difficult conditions, I might add."

Lippi personally had to answer prosecutor's questions about alleged pressure he received to select certain players, and his son was placed under investigation for his position in a player agency involved in the scandal.

Team manager Luigi Riva, Italy's all-time leading scorer who is participating at his ninth World Cup as a player or management member, credited Lippi with keeping the Azzurri focused.

"He built the motor that's held this boat together on those days that seemed like they would never end," Riva said. "He completely isolated the team."

Riva's analogy is appropriate for Lippi, who lives on the Tuscan coast and is an avid fisherman.

Lippi liked to joke before the World Cup that he would tell his fishing friends to start the motor on his boat before every game, so he could hurry back and escape out to sea if Italy lost.

"Rest assured. No one ever turned the motor on," Lippi said Wednesday, a day after Italy qualified for the final. "It's been idle for 40 days."