Italy came second in Group C with 5 points from 3 games, scoring four goals, conceding two, notching a win vs. Ireland and creditable draws vs. Spain and Croatia. With bright spells of possession-based attacking football against all three sides, and a ticket to the quarterfinals, Prandelli (and Italy fans) can feel reasonably pleased, though this team is a "work in progress" and it has not always been pretty to watch. Three questions by way of reviewing Italy's performance so far: 1. Which formation should the Azzurri use if they want to progress in the quarterfinals match? 3-5-2. Especially with Chiellini's possible absence through injury, they'll need the security this formation provides. And Italy looked better, and more composed, in the first two matches using this formation. It would serve them well vs. England, France, or Ukraine. 2. Having seen these players tested by three games at the highest levels, which starting XI should Prandelli pick in the QF round? Buffon; Abate, Barzagli, De Rossi, Bonucci (if Chiellini unfit), Balzaretti, Pirlo, Marchisio, Nocerino, Cassano, Balotelli. Abate and Balzaretti both were convincing in the full-back role vs. Ireland, and should be selected in the next match. Buffon is a guarantee, as ever. De Rossi should return to his "sweeper" role in the 3-5-2, flanked by either Barzagli and Chiellini or Barzagli and Bonucci. Pirlo as regista, Marchisio as box-to-box player, and Nocerino replacing the slow, timid Motta as holding player. Balotelli and Cassano had been criticized for failing to score vs. Spain and Ireland: no doubts about them any longer. They should have the confidence to score goals from here. 3. How should we grade Prandelli's work so far? B. Nothing more, nor less. Team spirit seems good, Italy has been excellent in flashes, particularly in the Spain match; but the team is flawed, has never played a full 90 minutes solidly, and Prandelli has constantly been tweaking the line-up. Still, we should go easy on him: injuries, calcioscomesse, concerns about the form of his strikers, and a tough draw have made his job hard. And don't forget--even Lippi had to tweak his formation in 2006, dropping Zaccardo for the in-form Grosso and re-shuffling the defense when Nesta was injured. The next games are the crunch matches, however. Can Prandelli prove himself a winner in the knock-out stages? I'm excited to find out and hope the answer is "si!".
Really happy to have gone through, it would have really been a catastrophe if we had done another tournament and gone out at the group. However this remains a team that doesn't really convince me. There's been a lot of comments about the team falling apart when someone's attacker of choice is substituted out. Or those that say we take our foot of the gas in the 2nd half. However to me, like I said in another thread, it seems we run out of gas rather than taking our foot off of it. Right now I feel like that's our biggest problem. If last night it was Germany and not Ireland I'm certain they would have put one or two goals in us. I really dread to think of the possibility of this team going into overtime. I also think we struggle to impose ourselves on our opponents. We do it at times, but it's more in spells than anything else. Watching us squished back by the Irish last night and fearing the 1-1 really is troubling. A team that crummy we should have been on top of them from start to finish. Formation wise I'm a bit torn. Durring the opening of the game I was sitting there thinking my god what have we done. However they shook it off and then took things under control. If we look at things as a whole I don't know that we can honestly say the 3-5-2 did us much better. Even with the 3-5-2 we only lasted one half just the same as we did last night. I guess we could go forward with the 3-5-2 but looking at the personnel Prandelli brought it seems to me we have players much more adapt to 4-3-1-2 or a 4-3-3. One thing that bothers me though is Prandelli using Motta as a trequartista. I don't understand the reasoning. Pirlo doesn't push high. So it's not like they exchange positions. One not try Motta or Nocerino lower to protect Pirlo and play one of Marchisio or De Rossi higher. De Rossi has played everywhere else this year, I'm sure he could play there as well. I also have to continue complaining about the fact that we didn't bring any strong center forwards. I just don't get it. Both our strongest attackers are most comfortable behind a proper center forward. Seems like such a huge oversight to me. On an unrelated note I think after this tournament that Prandelli should try some friendlies and qualifiers without Pirlo. Pirlo is a fantastic player, he was a huge factor in the World Cup win. However we are just too dependent on him right now. If all it takes is Croatia moving a midfielder on him and everything collapses it's a huge problem. And all our opponents know this. We are so unbelievably dependent on him right now. It's too late in this tournament and we need to pray his conditioning improves as we go on. After the game he himself was a bit hard on himself and said he didn't play as well as he should. However we need some type of plan B, so in the future if he's closed down or if he runs out of steam it doesn't cause the entire ship to start sinking.
I agree, Motta does not look comfortable in the hole. When we switched formations, I understand why Prandelli played what he played - he could not play a traditional flat four man midfield because we have no true wing midfielders. Also, Pirlo typically requires not one, but two, ball winners/runners next to him. So, I understand the need for a "layered" midfield. The problem is we don't have a pure trequarista. Someone like Cassano or Giovinco could be played in that role, but that would effectively be playing three forwards and I don't know if Prandelli is willing to do that. It might mean our midfield gets tired even earlier than they have been. As others have mentioned, I think reverting to the 3-5-2 but with personnel changes might be the ticket. Take the best from what we shown in both matches - the better formation but with better personnel: BALOTELLI - CASSANO MARCHISIO - MOTTA/NOCOPIRLO BALZARETTI ----------------------------------------------------- ABATE CHIELLO/BONU - DE ROSSI - BARZA BUFFON
Why not give a look to Borini. I think it could greatly improve our attack and not hurt our midfield too much. He's a fantastic player in the defensive phase. The first thing you notice about him is how much he picked up in his time in England and at Chelsea. He's always tracking back and always pressuring opposing players. It would allow us to move Motta/Nocerino closer to Pirlo. Then in attack I think we would get some added bonuses too. It would free Cassano to gravitate towards the left flank and look for assists, which is by far what he's most comfortable doing. Our formation currently forces him much more central and looking for goals, which if you watched him play these recent years is not what he normally does. Then with Borini during the offensive phase him and Balotelli could inter-change positions which I think would be another added benefit. Borini is much more suited to being in the box and looking to pounce on deflected or loose balls. While Balotelli is more comfortable being a bit more behind another forward. It's a bit of a gamble, but we are in a rebuilding phase so why not experiment. I think there is a valid logic to it. Plus the two man strike partnership really concerns me. I don't think it's that good. I don't think it suits either of our two starting strikers either. So far we've scored 4 goals, and 3 of them have come from dead ball situations. It's something that concerns me. Giving it a go in the first half of the next match is not so stupid. If it looks shaky sub Borini out for whichever of Marchisio and De Rossi didn't start and move Motta back up behind Cassano and Balotelli.
The interesting thing is that Prandelli plays Marchisio on the right side of midfield.Is it because Motta is left-footed ?
I like Borini. I like him a lot. But, frankly, our midfield at this fitness level can't support it. I, too, think we might have to go back to a 3-5-2. It will be a lot more effective now that Abate and Balzaretti won't allow free reign on the wings for easy crosses. Speaking of that...why did it take Prandelli 2 games to figure out Giac wasn't a LB and that Maggio was a defensive liability? That troubles me. It also troubles me how reliant he is on Motta without really giving Nocerino a chance. I don't think our midfield would be as gassed after 60 min if it had Nocerino's engine in it. If we are going to make any noise in this tourney we need men that can go 60-120 minutes. We already have one sub gone with Cassano. That leaves us only 2 the rest of the game! I don't think we can afford Motta in the midfield anymore. I think you have to go Abate, Nocerino, Pirlo, Marchisio, Balzaretti in a 5 man midfield. De Rossi and Pirlo just never mesh that well together in the midfield and so I would drop DDR back into the 3 man defense.
With no chiellini, I like de Rossi in the back even more. Plus his range of passing gives us an extra option if Pirlo is marked to hit the outlets in a 3-5-2. Granted, we need a target man to take advantage of the service from the wings and some decent service, but that is another problem all together...then you can move motta a little further back where he is more comfortable.
- I think i've been most disappointed with our form in the later stages of the game. We're really good going ahead early but this entire team dips 60+ minutes on. - I don't like the fact that Prandelli keeps subbing out Cassano. It would be nice to see him 90 minutes and use that substitution for the midfield or adding another defender late. He was spent in the first two games, but it looked like he could have gone longer yesterday. - Italy looked more impressive in the 3-5-2. De Rossi and Pirlo don't mesh well horizontally. Keep them vertical! - Pirlo plays well with two holding midfielders next to him. - My only guess as to why Motta played trequartista was to add a physical presence to Italy's small attack - Balzaretti > Giaccherini. Taller player, faster runner, and more confident on the ball. Overall this team has been good in phases. I'm really hoping they put in the training this week. Fitness really needs to imrove
To me balzaretti is a must start, even in a 3-5-2, he is just better than giaccherini. On the other side is tough, Maggio is usually a terrific plyer and a better player in a 3-5-2, so normally he should get the nod, but I feel that he has been on poor form so far, and if his offensive game is off, then abate becomes the more solid option.
I'm pretty much on the fence when it comes to the preferred formation, as I wasn't exactly blown away by either one. I do however think the squad looks more imposing in a 3-5-2 than they did yesterday in a 4-3-1-2. The way I see it without a true treq (sorry, Motta, Diamanti, or Montolivo just don't cut it for me) then we become pretty much invalid in attack, regardless of the fact that we managed more goals in yesterday's match than in the previous two. I think that a 3-5-2 with Abata and Balzaretti playing the wings instead of Giacch and Maggio can make the formation more effective, as the former seem to be more effective at both ends of the pitch than the later. Abate's tenacity is second to none, while Balzaretti's ball movement is pure class. With that in mind, if we were to opt with the 3-5-2 this is the starting 11 I'd go with: Defense: Barzagli, De Rossi, Bonucci Midfield: Abate, Marchisio, Pirlo, Nocerino, Balzaretti Attack: Cassano, Balotelli If we opt for the 4-3-1-2 then this is who I go with: Defense: Abate-Barzagli-Bonucci-Balzaretti Midfield: Marchisio, Pirlo, De Rossi Attack: Balotelli, Cassano, Diamanti (treq) I personally hate the idea of Diamanti playing the attack mid role, but at the same time Motta and Montolivo haven't exactly made a case for themselves either. Might as well start a guy that at least shows some tenacity. Would you guys be opposed to trying Pirlo in that role though? I remember we did it in Euro 08 and he worked out quite well there. If we provide him with the proper defensive cover in midfield then it might not be so bad... As for Prandelli, I'm good with the "B" grade. His starting 11 and substitution choices have come under question, but I think the decision to move DDR to CB in the first 2 matches really paid off BIG TIME for us. Also, as Sempre mentioned he hasn't exactly had the best of luck in regards to injuries. Its bad enough he wasn't exactly blessed with a deep talent pool to begin with, so all things considered he's managed to make due with what he has quite well. In the end, he got the job done in order to get us to the next phase, which just might have saved his job for another couple of years...
This is what I expected from the boys tbh. I predicted 5 points but I thought a it would be draw vs Spain, win vs Croatia and draw vs Ireland. Buffon has been good, he's been excellent on crosses and made a timely intervention on Torres in the Spain match. He could do nothing on both goals though he almost got a touch on Manzukic's goal. His non chalant handling the ball with his feet worries me at times. The defense has played very well. Other than Chillini's error vs Croatia they've hardly put a wrong foot all tournament. Also they've distributed the ball well from the back and they've handled several dangerous counters with aplomb.I would like to see them more active on set pieces though, we need all the offnese we can get. Pirlo was great the first two matches but dreadful yesterday. Has was mentioned above the over reliance on him can be disatrous if he plays like that, credit Ireland and Trap they had a plan to really fluster him. De Rossi has been the best Italian player of the tournament and along with Ozil, Silva, Schweinsteiger, Cabaye and several others the best players of the tournament so far. Motta and Marchisio have been good, though Marchisio was anonymous yesterday. While they've controlled the play at times only Marchisio and at times Motta have found themselves in dangerous attacking positions. Maggio was very poor and Giaccherini played to his abilities and was as good as you can hope for at this level. Balzaretti was good as well and would be well suited for the 3-5-2. Same with Abate he's a solid defender and gives us more backbone on the flanks than Maggio. The attack has been ok but they need to be more clinical. Cassano has been very active and his positioning and movement have really helped to get him involved. Balo has been good despite his finishing being off, maybe that goal can open the flood gates? Di Natale has been ok though I thought he had a strong game vs Ireland. His play was very direct and he kept on hitting low crosses first time. He would've had a goal with a bit more luck. This team what many of us thought. Good in patches and shaky in others. But on the whole they've defended very well and that's the first prequisite to success. Most dangerous chances have been caused by Pirlo giving up the ball too easily like he did vs Spain and Ireland. Croatia netted on their only true goal scoring opportunity and that was a misjudgement by Chiellini. His loss will be felt though. Offensively they seem a little predictable at times except for Cassano at times. While not quite at the level of Germany, I don't think we're far off. Who knows maybe there will be break in the KO phase like Ukraine winning Group D or the Greeks slaying the Germans?
I'm just happy we're in the big dance, where anything can happen! We had a few scary moments, but look at Spain who could have easily lost to Croatia. I think the Azzurri head into the KO stages with momentum on their side, which is huge.
Italy are almost always weak in the group stages of international tournaments and then are formidable in the knockout rounds. Here's a fun fact, in the past twenty (20) years, Italy have only suffered one (1) loss in a knockout round match of a WC or EURO: the 2nd round match against South Korea in WC 2002 . Yes, during that time, we have failed to make it out of the group stages (EURO 2004, WC 2010, etc.), but when we do, we are extremely tough to defeat. Here's to hoping that continues.
They did lose to France in WC 86' (Round of 16) in regualr time and the Euro 2000 Final in ET, but still as per usual we're going to be a tough out.
In other words, Italy is at their best when everything is on the line. After the big win against Ireland, I feel good vibes from the Azzurri and think they are ready to take a shot at winning Euro 2012.
I realized the EURO 2000 final (that one still gets me by the way) after I posted. My original post has been updated. Thanks for pointing out.
Agreed after failing to advance from the group stages in one of the worst WC groups possible a repeat would be unbearable and would have dealt a real confidence blow to the NT as a whole. This is mere conjecture, but if Italy had beaten Spain in the shootout in 2008, I don't the Spanish NT would have recovered to win the WC and we'd still be talking about Spain as being chokers. Now they're where they expected to be and they've handled three very different opponents quite well plus their tactical flexibility poses questions to their opponents.
I think we looked better in the 352 formation but I always get the feeling that the 352 formation is a waste of De Rossi's considerable talent. I would like to see him as the trequartista behind the strikers in 4312. He can provide extra cover when the opponents have the ball and still be closer to the opposition penalty area where he could provide or take a shot. I still can not think of why Motta has to play there? Does Prandelli think Motta is undroppable? Motta is a defensive midfielder, he provides virtually nothing in attack so playing him behind the strikers is a waste in my opinion. Another thing that bothers me is that out of our four goals scored, three have been from set plays. Only Di Natale's goal against Spain was from open play. Our players definitely have not been clinical enough. Fatigue has been a problem but at least we get an extra day off from finishing second in the group so I hope that can be mitigated.
I agree but I think Prandelli has played DDR there because of Barzagli's injury. And, just our luck, once Barzagli comes back, Chiellini picks up a knock. I believe that if there were no injuries, we would see Barza-Bonu-Chiello and DDR in the midfield and Motta on the bench. While I agree Motta is no trequarista, I don't think DDR should be played there either. Of the players brought, only Giovinco, Cassano and Diamanti can really play there naturally. But, to do so would require 3 forwards and too much pressure on our midfield.
Which is why De Rossi could play there. He can drop back and help the midfield when the opponents have the ball.
This team is fine....they are still finding their chemistry and i like the attacking possession game. HOWEVER...they need to keep it up. This team is not good at soaking pressure and they will leak goals. So they cannot let the other team take charge. Prandelli has a week to prepare for england so he needs to make sure the boys are fit and focused like they were in the spain game. Do not let england control the game and watch out for the crosses.
4-3-1-2: I've commented in length in other posts why I believe this is the way to go, to summarise: it provides greater cover on the wings against sides with good width it brings an extra player into midfield relative to playing with 3 central defenders which suits our possession passing style of game we don't have adequate enough wingers for a 3-5-2 to work also we don't even have 3 fit central defenders anyway, DDR is not a CB and has looked out of sorts against quality forwards Buffon; Abate, Barzagli, Bonucci, Balzaretti, Marchisio, Pirlo, De Rossi, Motta/Giach/Diamanti/Govinco, Cassano, Balotelli. Ten out of 11 have proven effective in the positions I have slotted them into this far. The big question mark for me is who will play out of the 4 options for the trequartista role. I think each of the 4 have performed well within the context of their abilities when they have been in the side. It really depends on what type of player you want to see there. Obviously Dia and Gio provide a more attacking option but the question is how effective will they be and will they turn over the ball leaving the side exposed to counter attacks. Motta (fit?) and Giach are less likely to run at the back 4 and are more likely to pass to a Cassano Pirlo etc who will create. So the tradeoff is we retain possession but have less options to create. Personally I'm partial to Dia in that role but I can understand if Prandelli opts for a Motta/Giach option. B-. I was quietly confident coming into this tournament believing that we had a sufficiently talented squad to give a good account of ourselves. The question mark for me was Cassano as he really is integral to the teams success and given his past health issues I wasn't sure what he would be capable of. A bonus was Juventus's strong season and the cohesion that having 4 or 5 players from the same side in your team brings. Notwithstanding all that, the leadup to the tournament was terrible with 3 friendly defeats in a row and yet another scandal back home to deal with. So full credit to Prandelli for having the courage to change the formation to great effect against Spain and instil confidence in the players to get a creditable result. On the other hand I thought that tactically he has been outcoached mid-game in two of the three games so far. The Navas/Torres change and the Modric onto Pirlo move clearly showed the deficiencies of the 3-5-2 and he failed to react decisively in both of those instances. Of all the players who have been out there everyone has impressed me to some extent with maybe Maggio being the most disappointing. So plaudits for squad selection as well. I don't agree with bringing out of form players just because you need to fill a position. refer Vieri Euro 2004.
In another thread, people were asked if Balo could do a Paolo Rossi? I would have preferred Balo to be a super-sub and for him to be another Roger Milla, who played the role to great effect for Cameroon at Italia 90. The tournament has been good but not great. We looked tired against the Croats in the second half and struggled against the Irish. We won with a 4-3-1-2 but looked more competitive with a 3-5-2. The wing-backs used in the 3-5-2 were out of form (Maggio) or out of position (Giac). I still believe that the 3-5-2 can be useful in the rest of the tournament but Abate and Balza have to play wide.