A few nights before Italy took on Uruguay in their final, and pivotal, 2014 World Cup group game, Mick Jagger, front man for The Rolling Stones, had something to say to the Azzurri faithful while on stage in Rome. “Italy 2-1 winners!” he proclaimed.
The Italians present cheered mutedly, seeing portents of doom everywhere all of a sudden. The one they called “pé frio” (one who brings bad luck; in this case, specifically for football teams), had marked them for damnation.
So who was responsible for Italy’s ignominious exit at the group stage from the mega tournament in June 2014? Was it Jagger, or was it the sad, pathetic result of a football system in dire need of a complete overhaul? The answer is entirely dependent on how Italian you are.
Chances are that even if not much had been said that June evening in Rome, Italy would still be heading home with their tails between their legs having lost the match, the World Cup, their manager Cesare Prandelli, and their football association President Giancarlo Abete.
Modern football has left Italy behind. Right up till the 2000s, the Serie A was among the most sought after leagues for star players. Clubs such as AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Roma would regularly overpower their European rivals.
However, since the infamous Calciopoli fixing scandal, which saw Juventus relegated to the second division and other clubs sanctioned and docked points, the league has been on a downward spiral of poor-quality football, low attendances and lesser monies. In the same period, leagues such as the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga have grown dramatically, attracting superstars and broadcasting their shiny product to a worldwide audience numbering in the billions.
Antonio Conte rebuilds
When Antonio Conte, former Juventus and soon-to-be Chelsea manager, took the reins of the national team, he must have realised the gargantuan task he had in trying to regain some sense of pride and bring the faithful back on-side. His first task was a clean-up job. Ageing stars such Pirlo were discarded and talent that had flattered to deceive, like Mario Balotelli’s, was ignored.
There was a clear preference for hard, disciplined and functional players over a glittering array of wunderkinds or superstars. He tried no less than 34 players in the qualifying stages – the most out of all the teams – and tinkered with the formation constantly, favouring a 3-5-2, sometimes opting for a 3-4-3, and even trying a 4-4-2 on occasion.
The problems that come with rebuilding a team from the ground up were more than apparent. Conte was at constant loggerheads with clubs over players and the lack of quality overall in the Serie A. This, along with Italian players’ notorious reluctance to join big clubs abroad had resulted in a national team that was virtually unrecognisable, with an uncharacteristic lack of big names.
Still, Italy qualified unbeaten, though unspectacularly, from a relatively easy group that contained Malta and Azerbaijan among others. But they were unconvincing overall, having scored just 16 times in 10 games, and conceded against Azerbaijan in both legs.
A lack of quality
Their biggest fall in stock has been in attack. Going from Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero and Christian Vieri to Simone Zaza, Ciro Immobile, Eder and Graziano Pelle has meant that today's Italian centre-forwards do not inspire the confidence their predecessors did. To be completely fair, though, the new bunch of strikers is earnest and hard-working, each with his own strengths, which they have demonstrated at various points during qualification.
In the midfield, Marco Verratti had been one of the shining stars of the qualification stage, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder finally showing his superb quality for his national team. Verratti and Claudio Marchisio had forged a good partnership, and there were signs of it developing into a formidable one.
It was thus a huge blow for Conte and Italy when both were ruled out of the tournament with a groin injury and an anterior cruciate ligament tear, respectively. Their positional replacements are the experienced but ageing workhorses Thiago Motta and Daniel De Rossi, and Lazio man Marco Parolo.
Italy have massive worries in attacking midfield. Quality players such as Francesco Totti are now few and far between, and that lack of creativity and genius could be a massive problem against top quality defences. Italy will be hoping that the simmering and mercurial talents of Fernando Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Insigne and comeback man Stephan El Sharaawy will come to the fore.
Bright spots and shrewd tactics
Conte has never been a particularly defensive coach, preferring to see his side control possession and space through their use of the wing-back system, and pressing the opposition higher up the pitch. During qualification, Antonio Candreva, Alessandro Florenzi and Matteo Darmian showcased their versatility, playing in a variety of wing-back, wide midfield, and out-and-out wing roles, depending on the formation employed by their manager. Candreva, in particular, stood out for his crossing ability and eye for a goal.
On current form, Italy’s first-choice defence is probably the pick of their group, which also contains Belgium, Sweden and Republic of Ireland. Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini are a back three par excellence. The Juventus men let in a mere 20 goals last season – a league record – and are in red hot form going into Euro 2016. They are, however, likely to be tested to the limit by the attacking might of Belgium and the guile and brilliance of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
What to expect in France
Italy’s biggest problem in the past two years has been their performance against top international opposition. While they make a meal of disposing even the “lesser” footballing nations, they have capitulated against Germany, losing 1-4. They lost 1-0 to Portugal and, more portentously, were humbled by Belgium, who are also their opponents in their first group E game on Monday night. Conte will be mindful of this, and of the danger posed by Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.
Italy might therefore be none too adventurous going forward, preferring to rely on their physical prowess and a hard pressing game to launch effective counter-attacks via their wing men. They will be comfortable with ceding possession and will aim at cutting out any spaces between their defence as their back-three switch to a back-five.
The glory days of the four-time world champions and one-time European champions might have faded quite dramatically, but the Gli Azzurri faithful will be praying for a decent showing at this expanded 2016 European Championship in France. It is a matter of pride and honour for them, and will offer hope for a revolution in the sport in their country, one that has taken far too long to come about.
Now all they need is for Mick Jagger to keep quiet.
