Euro 2012 Contenders: Italy

Introduction

With a major football tournament approaching in the form of Euro 2012, the Italians are embroiled in a major footballing controversy that has overpowered the interest in their national team itself. The spotlight is rather harshly on everything but their football right now, but on footballing terms, the Italians have a very bright chance of doing well at the Euros.

The ‘Azzurri’ steamrolled through their entire European Championship qualifying without facing defeat, a run that saw them win 8 matches and draw the other two. An inspired Gianluigi Buffon in goal and a settled backline led by Giorgio Chiellini have been the cornerstone of Cesare Prandelli’s new look side that conceded just two, yes, just two goals in 10 Euro qualifiers. However, the match fixing and betting scandal has hit the very foundadtion of Italian football and the arrest of Lazio captain Stefano Mauri as well as the investigation of regular left back Domenico Criscito means that the Italians go in to their Euro campaign with anything but a sound preparation mentally.

History

Italy are not just one of the most successful European teams of all times with 4 World Cups and one European Championship, their football team has, over the years, doled out some of the most memorable matches. The incredible 3-2 win over Brazil in the 1982 World Cup final that was immortalized by the ‘Tardelli Cry’ or the 4-3 win in 1970 over the Germans as the Luigi Riva’s wily Italians outdid the Franz Beckenbauer led West Germany. Or, in more recent times, Italy’s penalty win over Zizou led France in World Cup 2006. Few teams can match the legacy that the Italians have left on football. The master of the ‘Catenaccio’ as they’re known, they’ve brought to note some of the greatest defenders the world has ever seen, be it Paolo Maldini, Antonio Cabrini, Claudio Gentile, Franco Baresi, Alessandro Nesta, Giacinto Facchetti, Giuseppe Bergomi, or arguably the greatest of them all, Gaetano Scirea. The Italian history at the Euros has however not been as good as they would have liked with their sole triumph coming 44 years ago, and the current crop would wish to emulate the class of 1968.

The Manager

The current Italy manager Cesare Prandelli had a quite fruitful playing career that included a six year stint under the stewardship of legendary Giovanni ‘Il Trap’ Trappatoni at Italian giants Juventus, which were considered one of the greatest club football sides of all time featuring Michel Platini, Marco Tardelli, Paolo Rossi, Gaetano Scirea, Claudio Gentile, Antonio Cabrini and the ‘Beauty at Night’ Zibi Boniek amongst others. As a coach, he has been at the helm of affairs at Parma, AS Roma and, most recently, at Fiorentina, transforming the Tuscan club from relegation battlers to Champions League regulars at a rather limited budget. Having taken over Marcello Lippi after the 2010 World Cup, Prandelli has led Italy to an undefeated Euro qualifying campaign conceding just two goals, forming a formidable back line.

Key Players

Gianluigi Buffon- They say, on normal days Gigi is the best in the world, on his day he’s the best of all time. Any success that Italy has to achieve would hinge heavily on a steady defense, and the fulcrum of that defence would be Buffon. His absence for the majority of Italy’s campaign in South Africa saw them crash out in the group stages, and Italy would need their captain at his best to have a successful campaign.

Giorgio Chiellini & Andrea Barzagli – The Juventus duo formed the backbone of the best defence in all of Europe’s top five leagues conceding just 19 goals all season and going undefeated. Chiellini’s physical presence and strong tackling perfectly complement Barzagli’s calmness and near perfect reading of the game. If they click at the Euro ’12, it would become very difficult for the opposition to score any goals.

Andrea Pirlo- ‘The Magician’, ‘The modern Michelangelo’, ‘The Architect’. Call him what you want to, but Andrea Pirlo is that one guy who will carry the bulk of the Italian expectations. As the deepest player in midfield, he shall be responsible for defining the tempo of their football and stringing together passes to the forwards.

Antonio Cassano- Fresh from his return to football from a heart ailment, ‘Fantantonio’ would be the tormentor-in-chief for the opposition defenses. For a man of his talent, he has never played enough international football, in part due to his misdemeanors off the pitch. The Euro 2012 offers him an opportunity to prove his talent to a larger audience.

Tactics and Formation

The Italians are most likely to field a team featuring Andrea Pirlo, Danielle de Rossi and Claudio Marchisio, all of whom have had stupendous campaigns. They might alternate between playing three in attack or four in midfield against more sturdy oppositions.

Their goalkeeping position is undisputed till the time Gianluigi Buffon is around , and even though he has able deputies in PSG‘s Salvatore Sirigu and Morgan de Sanctis, the fans would hope that Buffon plays through the tournament this time unlike World Cup 2010. In defence, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli are certainties as centre halves with Leo Bonucci as backup. At right back, Christian Maggio is also a certainty and his attacking flair would be of a lot of use, with Ignazio Abate as his backup. Federico Balzaretti should start as the left back but there is also a chance that Angelo Ogbonna would be considered for that role.

Midfield is probably the strongest area of the Azzuri currently, with their three best midfielders, Pirlo, de Rossi and Marchisio coming in on the back of good seasons. Against tougher opposition, Thiago Motta would play a vital role to sit in midfield alongside de Rossi to break down attacks as Pirlo passes around and Marchisio thumps forward. Milan midfielders Nocerino and Montolivo should predominantly serve as backup to the above mentioned four.

In the absence of Giuseppe Rossi and Giampaolo Pazzini, Italy does certainly lack a bit in attack. In Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and Sebastian Giovinco, they have a trio that can run riot on the field but lose their cool just as quickly. How they are managed and utilized would be of prime importance. Giaccherini offers them the option of a wideman while Antonio di Natale would be of prime importance for goals. Former Chelsea striker Fabio Borini might get a few minutes, but wouldn’t certainly have a major role to play.

Formation(4-3-3): Buffon- Maggio, Chiellini, Barzagli, Balzaretti- Marchisio, Pirlo, de Rossi- Giovinco, di Natale, Cassano.

Strengths and Weakness

The Italians, as they usually do, have quite a bit of quality at the back. The backbone of their defence, Buffon, Barzagli and Chiellini enjoy great understanding together and have enjoyed great success over the course of last season.

In addition, the presence of Pirlo and de Rossi adds the much needed experience in midfield that they might need in the big games, but a lack of quality in attack could very easily come to the fore as was witnessed in their recent 1-0 defeat to the USA.

But the biggest of all challenges would be to mentally overcome the current match fixing and betting scandal that has rocked Italian football and has seen 19 people, including Lazio captain Stefano Mauri, arrested. Left back Domenico Criscito was dropped due to his alleged involvement in the scandal.

Expectations at Euro 2012

Italy are not among the favourites to win the title but could be counted as a dark horse to challenge the favorites. Despite being a part of a difficult group that features Spain, Croatia and Ireland, they should escape out of the group stage and into the knockouts. How far they progress would hinge on how well they hold up at the back, because if there is one team who could neutralize the likes of the Spainish and Dutch, it is them. And for the old timers, this campaign bears major similarities to Italy’s previous successes in 1982 and 2006, rocked by football scandals, Juventus as Scudetto winners and riding on Juventus led backlines for success. If history does indeed repeat itself, we could be in for an ‘Italian Job‘ this summer.