Unfortunately, as an Italian, i also agree with Ale88, the times when Italy could play good football are really over due to many factors, i see kids who play more with their cell phones than with the ball
in this context we will always get worse
These are just poor excuses. Addiction to the mobile phones (especially among the teenagers and pre-teens) have reduced physical activity all around the world. But in Europe, the education system is still putting a lot of focus on physical activity, unlike some of the East Asian nations such as South Korea or Taiwan. I would say that population ageing is the main reason, and that is why the European teams are going down, and countries with a very youthful population such as Uzbekistan and Jordan are entering the world cup for the first time ever.
We have to be patient, another generation will return. In Italy, football can be felt at all ages. It's normal that there will be a rebirth of Italian football, and when it returns, it will be devastating. We just have to wait for the new generations to come up and explode.