The anxiety, the critical issues, the tensions to be released by the Azzurri in the tactical analysis of Croatia-Italy.
Croatia-Italy it was a game full of fear. And from matches of this kind it is extremely difficult to find interesting ideas on a tactical and organizational level, especially for the huge voltage load which hovered over the race from the start. A load that then exploded in the episodes, starting from the two minutes of madness of the Azzurri culminating in Modric’s goal up to the hard-earned final equalizer.
RatherCroatia-Italy brought out, like Spain-Italy, above all the problems of the Azzurri, net of the qualification achieved to the detriment of Modric and his teammates. Problems in terms of organization and game principleswhich returned identical despite the change of men and starting system, but also and above all problems relating to the emotional sphere, perhaps well represented by Calafiori’s tears at the end of the match, which appeared more as a final resolution of the enormous accumulated tension rather than simple joy .
Support Sportellate: associates Our work is based on the commitment and passion of a young editorial staff. Through the association you help us grow and always improve the quality of the content. Join now! Croatia-Italy: the starting eleven
So much Dalic when Spalletti came to play for access to the round of 16 in the midst of the storm and without having a defined route. In his initial choices, the Croatian coach returned to the defensive position of the match against Spain, putting the Lecce native back on Pongracic in mezzo, Stanisic on the right and widening Gvardiol again on the left-handed lane, confirming the much criticized midfielder and making the bulk of his changes in attack: via Budimir and Majer, Kramaric he is moved to the role of center forward and to float between the lines they go Sucic e Pasalic.
On the other hand, Spalletti after having confirmed against the Red Furies the same eleven that won against Albania completely diverged even compared to the lineups predicted the day before. Left outside Frattesi, Scamacca and above all Chiesathe Azzurri side with a 3-5-2 more canonical and less elaborate on slips related to the game phase, where By Lorenzo leaves the right-hand position to play fifth in midfield, Jorginho he has more protection in the middle with a simpler division of the areas of the field, and above all where the defensive references in non-possession are those of a 5-man defense arranged in a zone.
That Italy’s attitude it would have been much more speculative more than usual it was already evident from the men’s choices. And in fact the Azzurri in non-possession implement one very gentle first pressureoften without man-on-man references, waiting for Croatian ball circulation and attacking harder only when Croatia tries to open up on the external.
The idea, probably influenced by the slip-ups seen against Spain, was to accept the opponent’s possession by making it ineffective with a solid defense, forcing vertical play attempts that were easy to control and trying to hit when the Croatians tried to search for breadth. But, even in this match, the almost immediate scare given by Sucic’s left-footed shot from the edge clearly betrays Italy’s difficulties in having a clear idea of what to do on the pitch.
The Azzurri did the best things halfway through the first half, when they took control of possession and tried to develop forward.
Barella pairs up with Jorginho to form a 3+2 under constructionDi Lorenzo and Dimarco are asked for maximum amplitude, while the movements of Pellegrini to invade and to Raspadori ties serve to move Croatia’s defensive line to also provide a central exit solution, with the Napoli attacker who, receiving between the lines, must open up the game for attacks deep inside the fifths.
The lock pick in more than one situation seems to be able to be Calafiorinaturally inclined to initiate the action while driving but also to read and consequently occupy the spaces forward.
A variable of unpredictability that is precious for a team that is too inclined to seek out codified and customised plays. tracks that are far too rigid, and moreover lacking (partially removing Scamacca, yesterday on the bench) creative qualities from duels. A variable that will prove decisive in the end, at least as much as Zaccagni’s attempt (and execution) of the play.
The Azzurri’s best opportunity, however, comes from the development of a corner: ball collected by Jorginho, support for Barella who finishes for Bastoni’s solo header, on which Livakovic is excellent. A situation which on the one hand reflects well Italy’s difficulties in developing the game, with the best scoring opportunity born from a situation of set piece footballas well as the extent of the even banally technical difficulties passed by Raspadori and above all by Retegui.
On the other hand, Bastoni’s goring puts one of the many contradictions of the Azzurri under the spotlight, namely the Barella’s position and dutiesso potentially dangerous closer to the penalty area and at the same time so necessary next to Jorginho, not only for the coverage work but above all for the support given to Italy’s tiring initial construction phase.
Modric’s goal and the blue panic
The two minutes of delirium and fear of Italy shortly after the 50th minute are the moment that splits the match and makes any subsequent tactical considerations almost useless, if not for the definitive loss of references of the Azzurri and the growing terror in the players on the pitch, culminating against all expectations and even against all logic in the decisive play found by the Calafiori-Zaccagni axis.
Despite everything, those minutes that seemed fatal offer food for thought. For example, beyond thenegative impact of Frattesi on the match, with the hands on the penalty which will irremediably affect their performance, a clear lack of consolidated references emerges again from the fragility of the Azzurri in stressful situations, with respect to which Bastoni’s error and the Inter player’s general difficulties in maintaining the right clarity in choices are only the most plastic of representations.
The confusion in the climbs on the references to take, the excessive passivity in countering Sucic’s cross, the failure to absorb Budimir’s (readable) cut, Frattesi’s flight forward to try to cut a passing line at the price with extreme delay to discover the center of the area: all individual choices that show more than anything else state of emotional tension of the Azzurristill scared by the penalty missed by Donnarumma.
From there to the end, Croatia – who had only managed to raise the engine revs up until now with difficulty – changed their skin and ended up further amplifying the Azzurri’s difficulties. If the prim possession Dalic’s team had produced very little in the face of the Azzurri’s low center of gravity, never really moved by the frequent positional interchanges of Pasalic and Kramaric and by Modric’s constant search for spaces to occupy, the result in favor frees the Croatians from the burden of possession and suddenly their competition increases in intensity.
Even with a noticeable drop in the pitch – if Italy is in possession beyond their own half of the pitch, the redesigned 4-2-3-1 goes to dial one six man defensive line – Croatia shows resources and intensity without the ball never seen in previous matches, capable of sending an increasingly confused Italian first team into difficulty.
This factor, again so linked to one’s own and the opponent’s emotional aspect, also shows which and how many there were Croatia’s difficulties in this tournament: submissive against Spain, inconsistent and inattentive against Albania, Dalic’s national team showed for the last time how little their certainties were about how to face an opponent they absolutely had to beat to get through to the round.
Church Outside: Escaping the Problem
The immediate entry of the Juventus striker at the moment of the Croatian lead opens up another front of problems, perhaps the most delicate given the caliber and potential of the player. That is to say: what to do with Federico Chiesa?
Do Croatians also travel at a different speed? Do they also have a different leg? Or are we the ones who don’t know what to do?
— CalcioDatato (@CalcioDatato) June 24, 2024
The contradiction is as simple as it is inextricable. Church to express the quality of her needs to play on breadth, she needs being able to play 1v1 matches without being called onto the pitch or worse, working with your back to the door. But this request clashes with the presence of a three-man defensive device, where the fifth to take the width and we rather need men in the middle of support. And the experiments (in Italy and elsewhere) to centralize the Church have all failed more or less miserably.
After the elaborate solution studied with Albania, Spalletti perhaps also influenced by the scenario with two useful results out of three, he solved the problem by giving up the Juventus player and to the complex climbing mechanisms that appeared ineffective in the match against Spain. One consequence, however, was the further loss of creativity of his XI on the pitch, and perhaps also – still on the subject of communication and emotional perceptions – the widening of the trust deficit from which this Italy seems to suffer before anything else.
The same impact of Chiesa – like Scamacca – from the bench was laughable: only one dribble attempted, 0/4 successful crosses, 31 touches, 13 lost possessions, a good opportunity created but in which he lacked precision in finishing. More liveliness than the tarnished Dimarco, but still very little, as if to reiterate the importance of the great absentee of this team, the creation of the right tactical and psychological context.
Or at least at the level of Dortmund’s debut... What to change in view of Switzerland?
It is difficult, if not impossible, to be able to give a more coherent structure to this national team in so few days. If a critical point, i.e. the Bastoni-Calafiori coexistence, has been resolved by the referee’s report with the disqualification of the Bologna defender, Spalletti has no reassuring confirmations on any aspect of the gameeven net of the qualification achieved.
The very absence of the player born in 2002 today is undoubtedly a tile, because it is worth the loss of what, like it or not, had been a fixed point in the initial choices and in the search for creative solutions in construction and development.
More or fewer unknowns than before?
In view of Saturday, the Azzurri and the coach will first of all have to try to recover a minimum of serenity and confidence, trying to shake off that load of tension that was all too easily perceived after the match. And even more upstream than the choice of men (Good morning in the middle with Bastoni left arm for the three-man defence? Church yes, but where?), Spalletti will have to try to give clearer and more defined game objectives to his players, just as he tried to do in view of Albania.
Building an identity now after double reset caused by the matches against Spain and Croatia is a difficult task, but it remains probably the best option to be able to get the best out of a young team, with talent, but well behind in the amalgam.
Sportellate’s European Championship is not just articles and scattered considerations! In fact, you can buy our magazine with guides to Euro 2024, listen to our Charisteas podcast or sign up to our FantaEuropeo league.
2024-06-25 14:34:31
#CroatiaItaly #tactical #analysis #Azzurris #fears
