Game 1: Italia v Albania Sabato 15 Giugno 2024 : 3pm ET/ 12Noon Pacific Projected Line-ups: TBD GRUPPO B Albania 0 Croazia 0 Italia 0 Spagna 0
because there is no Barella and Fagioli and Albania will only attack with one striker Spalletti will play a 4231. Which makes sense because you don't want Cristante and an extra CB in a 3421 against Albania when they will just playa low block. I want the 3421 because of our fullbacks but in this case it is needed to switch. (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Dimarco; Jorginho, Cristante; Frattesi, Pellegrini, Chiesa; Scamacca --------------------------------Donnarumma --------Di Lorenzo------Mancini------Bastoni----Di Marco ---------------------------Cristante----Jorginho -----------------Fratessi-----Pellegrini-------Chiesa -----------------------------------Scamacca As of today this is the expected 11 and it makes sense because you may as well get both Pellegrini and Fratessi out there to try and find a goal. Again I really hope we move to the 3421 with Barrella Jorginho Cambiaso because that is our best 11 and shape and out fullbacks are our best weapon. Expecting an ugly game right now.
It's not first choice or ideal but you have to almost look at Cristante as a water carrier If Di Marco and Di Lorenzo bomb forward he can sit back for a back 3. He's on the team instead of Locatelli for this exact scenario where Barrella and Fagioli are down and you want to just play with 4 up top essentially plus Di Marco overlapping on the left. I dislike Cristante in an Italy 11 because he ruins the flow. He's not a bad passer by any means he is actually a very good passer but in close space he lacks quality. With that said you don't want to play Jorginho Cristante in a 3421 so deeper as a CDM where Jorginho does 90% of the work he can't hurt us too much. I really hope they are just being cautious because that 3421 best 11 is really good on paper and we need that team to be out there dominating the ball. This is undoubtedly a plan C compromise.
4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori; Chiesa, Jorginho, Barella, Dimarco; Frattesi, Pellegrini; Scamacca Supposedly Barella has been playing really hard ti show just how fit he is in training and there are no issues. It would just be a matter of resting him for resting him sake which I think would be foolish. We need the 3pts against Albania more. You can rest him against Spain and park the bus for the draw if need be. Anyway that's the latest expected lineup now with Calafiori rather than Mancini which I love and Barella rather than Bryan. ------------------------------Donnarumma --------Di Lorenzo-------Bastoni--Califiori----Di Marco ---------------------------Barella----Jorginho -----------------Fratessi-----Pellegrini-------Chiesa -------------------------------Scamacca I assume this means Di Marco pushes up when attacking and Di Lorenzo Bastoni Califiiori make a back 3. Basically what Mancini did with Spinazzola but here there are to AM instead of two out and out wingers. I still prefer having Cambiaso and a 3421 out there but I understand it's meant to be fluid and is not a Mourinho 4231 which would be a disaster for us.
Some stats going in. Italy have not conceded more than one goal in a Euro match the last 2 euros and outside the final with Spain in 2012 that also holds. We have played Albania 4 times previously winning all 4 with a scoreline of 7-1 and all 4 games have taken place since 2014. So you could say it is extremely unlikely that Albania even score 1 but 2 would be a miracle. We should be able to get a 1-0 win. This is also Albanias second major tournament first since 2016 where they lost to France 2-0 and Switzerland 1-0 and beat Romania 1- 0 scoring their only goal of the tournament.
I’m a little concerned about Frattesi on the wing. Is that really the best option? I understand the desire to be very attacking, but I just am not convinced that he’s a natural winger. Put him a bit more central like as an attacking midfielder maybe.
I can see this being a 0-0 tie. Albania is going to play extremely defensive since there is a chance of progression even with a 3rd place finish just so long as they don’t get blown out with a high goal differential.
I understand that Frattesi won’t play on the wing! He will play behing Scamacca, Pellegrini on the left and Chiesa on the right? Maybe these 3 players will exchange positions behind Scamacca! I am not sure!
He's not really on the wing he is an inside attacking midfielder this is what makes its 4231 not a 424. There is no natural width on the right here so it is a bit lopsided to the left which makes me imagine Di Marco pushes left and Chiesa will roam. It's essentially the 3421 without Cambiaso because we are not concerned with them pressing much. Di Lo can push up on the right wing with 2 cbs staying back. If we move to a back 3 you just bring Cambiaso or Belanova on for the right side as a winger. Fratessi should stay inside overloading the centre.
game day 0-0 would be a very bad result for us. so hopefully not. comunque... andiamo ragazzi ci vediamo alla tre! forza.
---------------------------Donnarumma --------Di Lorenzo-------Bastoni--Califiori----Di Marco ---------------------------Barella----Jorginho -------------------Chiesa-- Fratessi--Pellegrini------ -------------------------------Scamacca Chiesa expected to start on the right and Pellegrini on the left with Fratessi as the 10 but of course they will be fluid. It's very offensive. Spalletti knows we need to score can not risk a 0-0.
This Barella/Jorginho combo is going to be awesome. Looking forward to Scamacca/Pellegrini/Chiesa scorching balls from 18 yards.
Surely, Bastoni will play left-center. Btw, what outlet offers these expected line-ups, and is it coming from the Italy camp, or is it speculation?
https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Euro...-albania-diretta-europei-risultato-live.shtml Football-italia which transcribes Gazzetta it's speculation based on training and rumblings surely. I just saw another outlet say it will be a 3421 with Cambiaso Buongiorno but that may have just been copy pasted from the Bosina game for clicks. A fluid 4231 is what they worked on all week to prepare for Albania. Bastoni will basically be a in the centre and Califiori is your LCB while Di Lorenzo tucks in for a fluid back 3 while Di Marco pushes up on the right and Chiesa on the left. So that's how you can get Bastoni Califiori to play together without having Bastoni really as the RCB on his wrong foot he is essentially in the Nesta Euro 2000 role as your central sweeper. Spaletti said he wont use a back 3 when playing teams that attack with one like Albania. But we will see could also be mind games from the Italy camp.
They counted us out at EURO and they’re counting us out now. Time to prove everyone wrong and defend our title…DAI RAGAZZI 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/u56p4gKIGI— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) June 15, 2024
I think a draw is the worst if we assume Spain gets 3pts vs Albania and at least 1pt off us. We likely just want Spain to win and then we win today and then hopefully we can get 2 draws against Spain Croatia something like that. Croatia wining is likely the worst result for us today unless Spain implode which they won't. It's hard to say because Albania may shock Spain or Croatia with a draw but assuming everyone gets 3pts against Albania we don't want Croatia to have 4 pts going into the last game. I say vamanos Espana !
0-0 tie where both teams' starters are exhausted. Or, Yamal gets in a fight with Rodri and Spain implodes due to internal disagreements.
Well said @TorontoCalabria! The most important obviously is us winning today and then calculations inevitably start! Let’s win this and start building some confidence! Forza Italia!!!