Tactical Review: Italy 0, Ireland 2

June 8th, 2011 | by: elaine |

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Another great review from Papai…

There were two Italias on display last night, each showcasing a facet of the Italian National team that we have come to recognise over the years. The team in white was clearly in semi-holiday mode, and taking things lightly as it was just a friendly. The team in green displayed the characteristics so admired in the classic azzurri squads – tenacity, tactically nullifying an opponent, organisation and taking full advantage of whatever chances that came their way. In the end, the master taught a little lesson to the apprentice as Trappatoni’s Ireland defeated Prandelli’s new look Italian team 2-0.

Tactical Breakdown

It was a continuation of the highly technical 4-3-1-2 (occasionally the diamond) that we saw against Estonia. Major changes were made in the defence, and in the attack pairing.

The Defence

The Chiellini-Gamberini central defensive partnership, to put it mildly, didn’t work out as expected. However, I feel that is less to do with the talent Gamberini has at his disposal, and more to do with the lack of big stage exposure and experience. Friendlies like these are ideal for a squad player to prove his worth, but perhaps only after he has gained a certain level of international/European experience at club level, especially for a defender.

However, the same cannot be said for Criscito, who, as I had previously noted, is simply not talented enough as a starting Full Back. Important season for Santon to play himself into form, and dare I say, Paolo De Ceglie? As for Cassani, he was not brilliant, but he was not bad either. No worries in the RB department as we have three solid players there – Cassani, Maggio and Abate.

The goals we conceded were totally against the run of play, and due to some individual silly mistakes – another sure sign of lack of experience and a unit unsure of playing together.

The Midfield

The midfield resembled that of the last game in shape and personnel, but also it was here that the biggest difference to the last game lay. Ireland relentlessly pressed Pirlo, who coped with it quite well to be honest, but what it actually meant was that the forward momentum of the midfield was stunted. So while Italy enjoyed a lot of possession, it was mostly sterile in nature. The limitations of Montolivo as a trequartista came to fore exactly because of this packed midfield and organised Irish defence, as he totally lacked the vision to play the killer pass, as well as the movement to drag the opposition out of shape.

In the second half, with the introduction of Giovinco, things spiced up a bit. The Atomic Ant brought some urgency and fantasy into the game; however the Irishmen had been well coached in the art of not letting a lead slip.

The Attack

A more traditional starting pair this time, with Rossi and Pazzini leading the attack. However, the lack of playmaking from the midfield meant that they were starved of opportunity. The second half saw the introduction of Matri and (ugh) Gilardino, but to no avail. There was simply not enough fantasy on the pitch to unlock the Irish defence.

Thoughts

1. The midfield needs a hard-man with good technique to bring in a layer of physicality that is essential against any opposition of note.

2. Relying on Montolivo or Aquilani to be the trequartista/tip of diamond is too risky simply because they do not have sufficient fantasia.

3. The pieces are (nearly) in place, now it’s just a question of tweaking until we find the right balance. I strongly believe Prandelli has identified his core group of players, barring Gilardino.

4. The left back and the defensive midfielder are going to be problem positions for us until we discover some quality players for depth soon.

5. Just as the performance in the last game didn’t make us favourites to win the Euro, this defeat doesn’t undo all the progress the team has made under Prandelli. As a philosopher once said, “It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll”