4 minute read
LAST WORD
ITALIAN DEFENDING SCHOOL IS SHUT
THE AZZURRI HAVE THE TALENT IN MIDFIELD AND ATTACK TO FOLLOW UP THEIR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP TRIUMPH AT THE 2022 WORLD CUP, BUT SUSY CAMPANALE WORRIES THAT THE DEFENSIVE WELL IS RUNNING DRY
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t is fair to say that if UEFA Euro 2020
Ihad gone ahead as planned last summer, then it might have been a little too early for this particular Italy side to thrive. Leonardo Spinazzola, Federico Chiesa and Manuel Locatelli were still too green, Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Insigne hadn’t yet reached this level of maturity, while Jorginho and Nicolo Barella hadn’t experienced winning silverware at club level. Everything seemed to come together at the right moment for Roberto Mancini, including the fact he had an extra year to work with his squad, during which they accrued that record-breaking 34-match unbeaten run. The 2022 World Cup is another tournament that shakes up the usual football schedule, but while the Euros were simply put back by a year, this competition is shifted to November and December 2022. In this case, it’s not the pandemic prompting the change, but rather the spectacularly stupid idea of hosting the event in Qatar. That
Gianluigi Donnarumma Federico Chiesa, Nicolo Barella and Gianluigi Donnarumma can inspire Italy for many years to come
Italy went from zero to heroes at Euro 2020
means an 18-month gap between contests rather than the usual two years, and it could make a big difference to the players we’ll see representing Italy when it comes around. Most of the Azzurri squad that lifted the European Championship trophy at Wembley Stadium are relatively young, mainly stretching from 21 to 30, with the midfield and attack particularly primed to go on working well together for some time. Gianluigi Donnarumma will get more Champions League experience under his belt at PSG, having already proved himself a reliable and remarkably confident international goalkeeper. Injuries to Marco Verratti and Alessandro Florenzi showed that there are alternatives ready to step up in Locatelli and Giovanni Di Lorenzo, while Spinazzola should hopefully be fit and ready to shine throughout the World Cup after his Euros were cruelly cut short by a torn Achilles tendon. New centre-forwards need to emerge and be given regular playing time for their clubs, because evidently Ciro Immobile and Andrea Belotti are not cut out for the highest level. Perhaps it is the 4-3-3 formation clashing with what they are accustomed to, maybe they simply aren’t suited to international football. Whatever the reason, Italy managed to become champions of Europe without a reliable striker. The area of real concern for Mancini is defence. Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci are without doubt one of the key reasons behind the Euro triumph, but time stands still for no man. By the time the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, Chiellini will be 38 years old. He already threatens to retire every summer only to continue, and his calf muscles are like a ticking time bomb. Bonucci is going to be 35 and it has become abundantly clear that for both Italy and Juventus, he is a very different player when not paired with the rock Chiellini. Never mind being an elder statesman of the backline, Bonucci needs his teammate to provide stability and clean up errors. It’s true that these are all criticisms leveled at the Italy defence even before and during the Euros. Every pundit told us they were too old, too slow, would be exposed by a pacy striker, and yet none of it happened. Chiellini and Bonucci put on a masterclass of defending in the competition, showing that positioning, predicting runs and timing the interception are all far more important than merely running after forwards. And when they do manage to get by, pull the emergency rip cord and grab Bukayo Saka by the back of the neck. How odd that some English fans considered that unfair play or even a red card offence. It’s called taking one for the team and it can only be done once, so must be used judiciously. And in the final minute of injury time with the final at 1-1, it certainly was. So perhaps the panic over aging centre-backs is unjustified to a degree, but the fact remains there aren’t many options ready to take over. Alessandro Bastoni is going to be an excellent defender and already has the Bonucci trick of quarterback passes over the top down to a tee at Inter, so he is learning from the master with each Italy get-together. The biggest problem is finding an heir to Chiellini, and quickly. We’ve seen he is not just essential for the team, but also to get the best out of Bonucci. Of the alternatives we saw at the Euros, Francesco Acerbi is at best fine, but certainly not someone we can look to consistently to lead the defensive line. Rafael Toloi was used more as a right-back than in the centre by Mancini, and has the same issue of being accustomed to a three-man defence. Gianluca Mancini could learn and develop under Jose Mourinho at Roma, but Alessio Romagnoli and Daniele Rugani’s progress has not so much stalled as gone into reverse at 60mph. Italy is where the art of defending is taught like a master’s degree, we are constantly told, but where are the next generation of classy centre-backs? The Azzurri have the talent and style to lead the way for some time at international level, but it’s in the trademark defensive solidity that they may be lacking in future.
