“Defense from Oratory”, it is said to indicate a team that undergoes many networks. From today the most suitable term would be “defense from the Italian national team”, given yesterday’s 5-4 against Israel, a score that unfortunately says a lot about the tactical estate – and perhaps also mental – of our blues.
The new technical commissioner Rino Gattuso seems to have given new lymph and character to the national team, as we have seen in the beautiful reaction of the second half with Estonia, however it does not seem to have provided a tactical system of solid consistency, introducing between one match and the other of the variations that have made the few mechanisms acquired in a single week of training. When you suffer four goals from an opponent who is certainly not of the first end like Israel – especially when this national team is forced to play the home games in the neutral field for obvious reasons – it means that there is something wrong and it is not something secondary.
The improvised 4-3-3 lined up by the coach did not even had the usual and physiological symmetry of every tactical disposition, forcing some players out of role especially on the left wing, where Di Marco often found himself facing the opponents in numerical inferiority. The only rescue that came to him was from Tonals who, however, had to guarantee that type of coverage on paper. The offensive trident soon turned into a double center forward with Kean and Rettegui while on the right the only real hairpin bend of the three in front, Politano, actually acted as a cover in Di Lorenzo. On the left this mechanism is completely skipped and the problem is when the Italians are noticed in front of the TV, but not the only deputy to be able to intervene.
The skidding were many and not to protect the result even on 4-2 10 minutes from the end, and if it had not been for a harmless tonal shot from outside the area that mysteriously laundred the Israeli defense and deceived the expired goalkeeper, now we would be here to complain for the two lost points, fundamental among other things to continue hoping in the qualification of the 2026 World Cup.
There is perhaps also a deeper reason, more worrying and not attributable to the management of Rino Gattuso: we are no longer a school of defenders. What was a pride for the Italian football tradition and one of the strengths on which to count in moments of difficulty – and this is not just for Italy – in recent years it has been lost: we have very good defenders to set the game as sticks and calafiori (among other things, it is not clear why the latter did not play after the beautiful performance with Estonia) but who no longer know how to go to the opposing man in contrast or in the marking, It is located in its area.
The Americans know little about football, yet the saying applicable to every team sport is popular with them: the attack sells tickets, the defense win the games. And we will not go to the World Cup because the case is full. There is time to remedy, the important thing is to be aware of one’s mistakes.
