EM 2021: Italy’s successful team building sport

Before the final Group A game, Roberto Mancini faced the question that every successful national coach asks himself at some point during this phase of a tournament: continue or take a break? The Italians had an outstanding start to this European Championship, two 3-0 against Turkey and Switzerland made them early tournament favorites. Now the round of 16 was secured and a dangerous opponent awaited in Wales – a potentially very good test for the best team or an opportunity for experiments.

Mancini opted for the team building variant, created the work of art of having all field players (and the second goalkeeper) in the squad at the end of the group phase – and still wrote history: The 1-0 was the 30th undefeated game in a row, Mancini’s team set an Italian record from the 1930s. And Italy is still a very serious EM favorite.

Italy’s 1b-Elf has the same characteristics as the 1a-Elf

There were eight changes at the beginning of the Squadra Azzurra, the most striking, in addition to the exchange of the entire offensive, was the return of Marco Verratti to midfield. For the director of Paris St. Germain – last struck – the third group game was therefore a premiere, as was the second goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu, whom Mancini brought shortly before the end.

However, it quickly became apparent that Italy’s apparent superiority from the first two games was not a product of outstanding individual players, but rather has systematic features. The 1b-Elf played in the same system as the 1a-Elf and had the same characteristics: a lot of control on the defensive, courage in building up despite a sometimes high opponent and repeatedly trying to quickly create opportunities from rather static situations in the opponent’s penalty area to develop.

Open detailed view

In the course of the first half, the Italians developed a significant increase in good offensive scenes. Andrea Belotti (24th minute) and Federico Chiesa (29th) had good chances from a tight angle, but Welsh central defender Chris Gunter almost gave the outsider the lead after a corner kick in the 27th minute. However, as in the first two games, Italy scored the 1-0. Matteo Pessina, who had just run in, extended a Verratti free kick into the far corner, and the lead at halftime was well deserved.

Even the substitution of Leonardo Bonucci at halftime, probably also to give him a break, could not really destabilize the Italians. Aaron Ramsey would have had a chance to equalize from a pass error by Bonucci’s substitute Francesco Acerbi, but failed to punish Italy’s mistake in the build-up game. Welsh efforts were then sabotaged by a tough foul from Nathan Ampadu, who received the tournament’s first red card for entering. In the end, however, the 0: 1 was enough for second place in Group A.

Against ten Welshmen, Italy came to even more dominance in the closing stages, repeatedly interrupted by good opportunities. And as with the first two European Championship appearances, it became clear: There is a team playing that does not want to manage 1-0 even if the coach pretends to spare himself for higher tasks with his team building.