Duisburg: Captain Fabio Cannavaro said the Azzurri needed to return to traditional 'cynical' Italian football if they wanted to succeed in the World Cup.
"We have to start to be the cynical Italians," he told a news conference on Tuesday.
"The secret to going a long way in the tournament is to ... rediscover some of the typical defensive approach found in Italian football culture."
Italy go into Thursday's final game in Group E against Czech Republic in Hamburg needing a point to secure their passage to the second round.
Marcello Lippi's side lead the group with four points, one more than the Czechs and Ghana, while the United States are bottom with one point.
Cannavaro said Italy would not be settling for a point against the Czechs.
"Looking at the numbers we obviously have an advantage over the other teams but we won't let that influence us. We will go out to win," he said.
The Italians won their opening game against Ghana 2-0 before being held to a 1-1 draw by the United States.
Cannavaro said the Czechs were a team who merited full respect.
"They are made up of players we know well and they are a proud and experienced team. We have watched videos of them, they break very quickly on counter-attack. We can't allow them space because they are very dangerous when they have room to play," he added.
Defender Cannavaro said Juventus team mate Pavel Nedved would be the main threat from the Czechs.
"Pavel is an annoying player to play against, he has a great spirit, sets an example to his team mates, has real inner-strength and plays with passion. He is a genuine professional and a player to fear," said Cannavaro.
"I haven't spoken to him yet but I will give him a call tonight. I have a good relationship with him and we had a laugh about this match when we were together in Turin. I'm sure we will wind each other up some more."
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