World Soccer

By: COLIN REESE

Against England, in Italy’s first game of the 2014 World Cup, Cesare Prandelli fielded an Italian side without three center backs, and this tactical choice allowed Italy to win the midfield battle without losing anything defensively.

England under Roy Hodgson fielded one of its best sides in memory, and while England posed a real attacking threat and scored a goal, Italy’s defensive problems were with the selection of Gabriel Paletta and not with the formation or tactics.

With a complete midfielder like Daniele De Rossi of Roma being something of a defensive midfielder virtuoso, there is no need to use the three-man defensive system used by Juventus and often by Italy; the gap between two center backs is plugged by De Rossi, and this allows one less defender to be used, so that more midfielders can be started.

This is precisely what Italy did against England in their first game and win of the 2014 World Cup, and the defensive problems were primarily with the unwise choice of starting Paletta as the left center back.

Prandelli had the option of fielding a Back Four comprised of Ignazio Abate, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, and Matteo Darmian, and this would have allowed Chiellini to play as a center back, which is the defensive position where he plays his best. In fact, Chiellini should be on anyone’s short list of the top center backs in the world.

Paletta is a talented defender, but too often he was beaten with speed or found giving away possession near the top of the box.

Barzagli and Chiellini are a much better and more proven center back pairing – not to mention the fact that Leonardo Bonucci of Juventus was also available.

Bonucci is considered by many to be a center back that performs much better in three-man defense, which basically consists of three center backs lined up right, left, and center, but Bonucci certainly has more experience and skill than Paletta to play as a center back in a four-man defense.

Despite the problems with the Italian defense, Italy’s midfield put on a clinic of passing, team defense, and overall skill against England. England played well, but the Italian midfield comprised of Daniele De Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Antonio Candreva, Marco Verratti, and Claudio Marchisio would have been too much for anyone.

In addition to running non-stop, every one of Italy’s midfielders can receive and release the ball quickly, show for the ball or move into space, play incisive and inventive passes, tackle and defend, and attack and score; one-footed players don’t play for Italy.

Armed with an apex predator of Mario Balotelli’s natural ability and athleticism as the lone striker, Italy’s five-man midfield is stocked full of world-class two-way midfielders that no team in the tournament can match.

Using five midfielders that are all gifted passes maximizes Balotelli’s talent. Balotelli is often described as an athletic and powerful striker, but Balotelli is an artist and a prodigy.

Balotelli’s close range chip that was on its way into the net before a last second header from under the cross bar saved a certain goal was so ridiculous, audacious, and skillful that only a few players in the entire tournament could have executed it – even trying it requires a certain level of healthy but total disrespect for your opponents. Being able to chip a ball that high with defenders so close without the ball sailing over the cross bar is not something that many players can do against World Cup competition.

Balotelli’s full arsenal of skills, tricks, and physical gifts make the five-man midfield more essential for Italy because it allows Balotelli to receive not only quality service but a steady stream of it. All of Italy’s midfielders can play final passes and dangerous balls for Balotelli.

Italy’s new formation is a real threat to Brazil in this World Cup because it helps Balotelli, makes Italy harder to break down with passes, and it gives Italy more weapons.

Brazil’s XI is outstanding (as are the substitutes), but Brazil is not only a balanced mixture of defenders and players making up the Front Six, but also attack-minded and slightly more defensive-minded midfielders.

Italy’s midfield is just a tsunami of complete midfielders that make it close to impossible for opponents to win the battle of the midfield or break through the center.

Whereas in the last few years Italy often used three center backs, two wing backs, three midfielders, and a first and second striker, the Nazionale is now willing to use the more common four-man defense with De Rossi as the defensive midfielder providing that extra protection for the center backs. This allows Italy to possess the ball, defend, and attack, which makes Italy’s midfield more difficult to outplay or even contain.

Against Italy, England used electric attackers like Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, and Raheem Sterling along with a slightly older but highly-skilled and still reasonably fast attacker in Wayne Rooney, and this allowed England to break down Italy’s makeshift back four.

As soon as Italy fixes the Back Four (which Prandelli did not need to start), the vulnerability on the flakes will be gone, but since Candreva and Marchisio provided defensive help out wide anyway, the use of Abate and Darmian (or Mattia De Sciglio whenever he recovers from injury) will take away the one weakness Italy had.

Italy was so good that, even without Gigi Buffon in goal, Salvatore Sirigu was exceptional, just as everyone expected him to be. With Barzagli, Chiellini, and De Rossi covering the center of the defense, even attacks out wide will likely be shut down as soon as Barzagli, Chiellini, and De Rossi provide coverage when the outside backs are beaten.

The World Cup is just as much Italy’s to lose as it is Brazil’s. With Buffon or Sirigu in goal along with the defenders, midfielders, and striker discussed above, Italy is a scary opponent.

Gli Azzurri also have Antonio Cassano, Alessio Cerci, Ciro Immobile, Thiago Motta, and Lorenzo Insigne to set loose on their opponents.

Given how well Andrea Pirlo played for 90 minutes at 35 years old in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest and given how Mario Balotelli scored and performed well in his first World Cup game, Italy’s two players that skeptics like to target either because of age or perceived immaturity both proved to be more than up to the task of delivering in this World Cup.

It was only one game, but Italy is definitely one of the favorites to win the 2014 World Cup.

Italy’s Front Six comprised of De Rossi, Pirlo, Candreva, Verratti, Marchisio, and Balotelli is every bit as good as Brazil’s Front Six of Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho, Hulk/Willian, Oscar, Neymar, and Fred.

By: COLIN REESE

Cesare Prandelli has a variety of formations available to him as the coach of the Italian national team, and each formation affects which players start and where.

Brazil, Spain, and Germany have been widely tipped to be the favorites in this World Cup, but perhaps Brazil and Italy are the real favorites because Brazil is Brazil and Italy has so many weapons and formation options available to them.

The 3-5-2 formation is a likely formation for Italy, but so too is the 4-3-2-1 formation. If Italy uses the 3-5-2 formation, then Prandelli will likely start Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano in the attack, but if Italy uses a 4-3-2-1 then perhaps Cassano is less likely to start with an overloaded midfield that would likely feature attacking midfielders and playmakers such as Antonio Candreva and Marco Verratti.

As for the defense, there is a belief amongst many people that Juventus center back, Leonardo Bonucci, performs much better in the 3-5-2 formation than in a four-man defensive set-up because he’s more famous as a ball-player rather than a ball-winner, but many observers feel that the Roma defensive midfielder, Daniele De Rossi, would perform better than Bonucci as the central defender in the three-man defensive set-up.

Italy could also start Leonardo Bonucci in the center of the defense with De Rossi as the defensive midfielder in the 3-5-2 system as well. Either way, Bonucci is a world-class center back that has the ability to perform at the World Cup.

At this point, it’s not clear what formation Prandelli will use, but whatever the defensive set-up, having Daniele De Rossi, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini all lining up centrally in defensive roles (and a defensive midfielder role in De Rossi’s case) is about as strong of a defense that can be found in the World Cup, with the obvious exception of Brazil which has Luiz Gustavo lining up as a defensive midfielder in front of Brazilian center backs Thiago Silva and David Luiz.

Given the quality of Italy’s players and the fact that they are very used to playing with one another, it’s more important to get the right players on the field rather than being married to a 3-5-2 formation or a 4-3-2-1 formation – or any other formation for that matter.

Andrea Pirlo and Daniele De Rossi will likely start in the midfield and Claudio Marchisio, Marco Verratti, and Antonio Candreva are key midfielders to find space for in the Starting XI.

With those five midfielders, Italy has De Rossi protecting the defense and providing quality passing from deep in the midfield with Pirlo floating around as the regista or deep-lying playmaker that not only orchestrates the passing but that also provides plenty of defensive coverage, and Italy also has Marchisio, Verratti, and Candreva providing everything one could ask for out of midfielders: creativity, defending, running, world-class passing, and attacking prowess.

After seeing Italy recently, it has become clear that Verratti is too talented of a passer and too active of a two-way midfielder to not start, and it has also become clear that the non-stop two-way play of Candreva and Marchisio prevents opponents like England from being able to just try to swarm Pirlo and take him out of the game; Italy’s other midfielders besides Pirlo are too talented and active to not pay constant attention to.

Italy’s opponents won’t be able to treat Italy as a squad that lives and dies by Pirlo because all of Italy’s other midfielders are world-class midfielders that almost any national team would love to have and start.

Prandelli no longer has to decide on the ideal strike partner for Balotelli because De Rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio, Verratti, and Candreva provide so much passing quality that Italy can flood the midfield with world-class midfielders who can all keep possession and create scoring chances for Balotelli or any of Italy’s midfielders, plus attacking midfielders like Candreva and Verratti can provide much of the passing in the final third that Cassano provides.

Candreva is a legit scoring threat and attacking weapon in his own right with or without Balotelli, and Prandelli will likely make starting Candreva in the midfield a bigger priority than given Balotelli a striker partner. Balotelli doesn’t need a striker partner.

Defending Italy and trying to attack Italy will be a problem for any national team because trying to not only contain all of those midfielders but also trying to pick them apart with passing will be a tall order given the quality and quantity of midfielders on the field at the same time. To make matters worse, Balotelli will be very active in stretching opposing defenses with his speed and skill and defending him is a nightmare whether or not he has quality service.

While Italy’s likely formation is anyone’s guess, Ignazio Abate and Mattia De Sciglio look poised to start as the right and left back or the right and left wingbacks, and Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli or Leonardo Bonucci are likely to start as the center backs.

If Italy uses a three man defense then Barzagli, De Rossi/Bonucci, and Chiellini looked poised to start, in which case Thiago Motta would slide into the defensive midfielder role.

Look for the following players to likely start for Italy perhaps in a 4-3-2-1 formation:

Gigi BUFFON; Ignazio ABATE, Leonardo BONUCCI, Giorgio CHIELLINI, Mattia DE SCIGLIO; Daniele DE ROSSI, Andrea PIRLO, Claudio MARCHISIO; Antonio CANDREVA, Marco VERRATTI; Mario BALOTELLI.

If Italy uses a 3-5-2 formation, the look for this Italy XI:

BUFFON; BARZAGLI, BONUCCI, CHIELLINI; ABATE, DE ROSSI, PIRLO, VERRATTI/ MARCHISIO, DE SCIGLIO; BALOTELLI, CASSANO/CANDREVA.