Italy

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

Three playmakers: Andrea Pirlo, Marco Verratti, Antonio Cassano.

 

Will Cesare Prandelli start all three at once?

 

Pirlo, The Regista. Verratti, The Falso Trequartista. Cassano, The Trequartista and The Fantasista.

 

FantAntonio Cassano was supposed to be Francesco Totti’s successor as Italy’s trequartista after the 2006 World Cup, but Euro 2012 gave Cassano some redemption in a career that hasn’t been as glorious and decorated as it was supposed to be.

 

Cassano isn’t a player that you should ever count out. Cassano had a congenital heart defect surgically-repaired, and he then excelled in Euro 2012. He was supposed to be past his prime for the 2014 World Cup, and his fitness test scores conducted by Italy’s doctors were excellent.

 

FantAntonio has proven to be an extremely resilient person and player, and his ability to recover and thrive after serious obstacles contradict his reputation for being a lazy jokester.

 

This summer in Brazil, Cassano will be wearing the Number 10 jersey for Italy, an enormous honor, and Totti is probably glad that a fellow fantasista renowned for his creativity, skill, and guile is wearing his jersey.

 

There was a possibility of Totti playing in the World Cup even at 37 years old because his club form has been so good, but at 31 years old, Cassano is either in the best shape of his life or at the level he was at in his early twenties. Time hasn’t caught Cassano yet, and an excellent showing in the World Cup would be a feel good storyline for soccer fans everywhere.

 

With Cassano partnering with Mario Balotelli in the attack and with the possibility of Verratti playing somewhere in between the attack and Pirlo in the back of the midfield, it is very possible that Italy will field three playmakers at the same time.

 

Each playmaker is different.

 

Pirlo will be playing as a regista in front of the defense, but he will be going wherever he wants.

 

Cassano will be playing as a second striker as opposed to being deployed as a true trequartista slightly deeper, but this distinction is all semantics.

 

Cassano’s ability to partner with Balotelli and his rare skill-set made him a vital inclusion for la Nazionale, but Verratti was more of a roster doubt because many thought that he might be seen as surplus to requirements on a squad with Pirlo and Riccardo Montolivo – before he broke his leg – which isn’t really the reason that Verratti made the squad. He made it on pure merit.

 

The questions surrounding Verratti weren’t about his ability or club form, but rather they were just doubts about whether Prandelli would use a roster spot for a player who was thought to be just a deep-lying playmaker that was vying for a roster spot against even defensive midfielders with excellent passing skills like Daniele De Rossi and Thiago Motta who both also played right in front of the defense.

 

Verratti has proven to everyone that he isn’t just a regista, but rather he is a playmaking virtuoso that can play in more advanced positions like the so-called falso trequartista, which is the name of the position that Gazzetta dello Sport used to describe his role.

 

Verratti has proven to be something of a trequartista extradordinaire whose game is characterized by combining inventive and magical passing with aggressive defending and tackling.

 

Verratti covers a lot of ground, and he’s hard to box into a specific positional category. All that matters is that Verratti is a playmaker that covers a lot of territory recovering the ball and orchestrating the passing and attacking play of his team.

 

Pirlo is a legend and grandmaster. Cassano is a world famous enigmatic fantasista.  But, Verratti, unlike the other two starters, is the player vying for a starting spot, which will not be in place of either Pirlo or Cassano.

 

Will Italy use three playmakers at the same time in the World Cup?

 

If Prandelli starts all three Italian masters, then soccer fans everywhere will be in for the treat of seeing three world-class passers and footballers putting on quite the display of creativity and excellence.

 

Prandelli might decide that three playmakers like Pirlo, Verratti, and Cassano playing together at once will get in each other’s way, so a box-to-box midfielder like Claudio Marchisio might be a better option to field with Pirlo and Cassano.

 

But, on the other hand, Verratti has shown that he covers a lot of ground and that he goes where he’s needed.

 

Maybe, just maybe, Pirlo, Verratti, and Cassano at the same time can work to deliver to Italy’s opponents a lethal dosage of passing excellence, and if all three start together, then this might be the first time Italy or anyone else has used something like this, unless you consider the combination of Xavi, Iniesta, and Fàbregas of Spain and Barcelona to be a similar set-up.

 

One thing is for sure, and that is that Italy once again is dispelling the stereotype that Italians and the Italian national team only play defensive soccer. This is a stereotype that has never really been very accurate.

 

Prandelli has a reputation for being a tactical master, and if he can field an effective Starting XI with Pirlo, Verratti, and Cassano, then he will once again receive rave reviews from the global soccer media and fans alike.

 

To field all three playmakers at once, Italy would have to line up in a formation similar to the diagram below:

 

 

 

 

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

To be perfectly clear, Brazil’s first-choice XI is clearly the best XI in the World Cup, and Brazil’s second-choice XI might be the second best XI in the entire tournament as well.

 

Nevertheless, Italy’s roster is more versatile than Brazil’s (and perhaps deeper) because Italy has the option of using so many different formations and so many different combinations of players, whereas Brazil’s roster is a well-oiled machine full of creative and athletic footballers who don’t care who they play and who are all able to instantly adjust to any line-up changes without missing a beat.

 

Brazil can beat anyone without even hiding or concealing which players Felipão is going to start, and each starter for Brazil is a master at his position.

 

The only possible line-up toss-ups for Felipão are Maicon vs Daniel Alves or Luiz Gustavo vs. Fernandinho. Hernanes could be chosen over Oscar for tactical reasons in some games, but Oscar is the starting meia-armador.

 

It’s worth mentioning that, for many Brazilians, Neymar is not only just the player wearing the famed Camisa Dez, but also the player really playing that role (despite lining up out left) with Oscar as his partner in crime.

 

NeyMaster in many ways is not only the most dangerous scoring threat but also the most gifted and important creator.

 

But unlike Brazil, Italy and Prandelli have a whole host of tactical adjustments and formations that they can surprise opponents with. Italy has footballers like Antonio Candreva that aren’t predicted to start but who are nevertheless dynamic and lethal talents. The Lazio attacking midfielder can be deployed as an attacking midfielder of several varieties in addition to being a legitimate and capable wingback option when Italy uses the 3-5-2.

 

Looking at Italy closer, a player like Marco Verratti who has been described as a regista and also as a “falso trequartista” by Gazzetta dello Sport is like Napoleon in size and spirit, and although he may or may not be a starter this summer, he is a true fantasista that tackles and runs with conviction.

 

Claudio Marchisio will probably start over Verratti to give Italy a box-to-box midfielder to compliment Thiago Motta as the mediano or defensive midfielder (assuming Daniele De Rossi is playing as the center back in the 3-5-2) and Andrea Pirlo as the regista with Mario Balotelli as the first striker and Antonio Cassano playing as the second striker or trequartista depending on your interpretation.

 

Italy has more weapons in its arsenal as well.

 

At forward, Alessio Cerci, Ciro Immobile, and Lorenzo Insigne are lethal attackers, but Italy’s first choice XI is likely the following 3-5-2 formation (shown below in a diagram looking like a 3-2-3-2 formation):

 

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

 

 

 

 

There is a belief in Italy and amongst Azzurri fans that De Rossi will start over Leonardo Bonucci as the center back in the three-man defense, and this belief has been validated by Prandelli himself. Prandelli might still be planning on starting Bonucci in the middle of the defense, but he has alluded to starting De Rossi there as well.

 

Italy’s first-choice XI is formidable indeed, and it will be interesting to see if Verratti or Candreva win starting spots over Marchisio.

 

Perhaps, Verratti is already the starter over Marchisio.

 

With Verratti starting, Italy would be fielding three playmakers at once – Pirlo, Verratti, and Cassano – and this makes for a very creative combination of players for a national team that is often incorrectly stereotyped as just a defensive-minded and tactically-sound squad.

 

Italy has always placed a premium on creative and imaginative players, and this Azzurri squad has Pirlo, Verratti, Candreva, Insigne, Cerci, Cassano, and Balotelli.

 

In this summer’s World Cup, Prandelli will likely field a variety of formations and line-ups, and it will be interesting to see if Prandelli ever goes extremely offensive and boldly deploys players like Candreva, Insigne, or Cerci as terzini fluidificanti or wingbacks instead of outside backs like Abate and De Sciglio (as well as Matteo Darmian) who also excel as wingbacks.

 

Look for Prandelli and Italy to adapt their tactics depending on their opponents, but Andrea Pirlo and Mario Balotelli will be constants: Pirlo as the midfield maestro and Balotelli at striker as Italy’s giant killer.

 

 

 

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

While many of these players are likely call-ups for Italian national team coach, Cesare Prandelli, this is a thought exercise in picking 23 Italian internationals that can field the strongest Italian national team.

 

Prandelli is a master coach who brings out the best in Italy’s striker Mario Balotelli, a player that many coaches have labeled “uncoachable.” Prandelli has had no problems coaching Balotelli, and in fact, Prandelli has allowed Balotelli to flourish and take over games, which demonstrates how skilled Prandelli is at identifying talent and maximizing it.

 

Some of the players listed below are down the pecking order for Prandelli due to club form or somewhat recent returns from injuries.

 

Nevertheless, World Soccer Source backs this 23-man Italy roster with the obvious caveat that Italy has way too many world-class footballers than can fit on the national team. An omission of a player doesn’t mean that this writer doesn’t hold that player in high esteem.

 

Below is World Soccer Source’s Preferred 23-man Azzurri roster:

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