FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 semifinal: Italy vs Spain - Five talking points

Tactics:

There was talk about how Cesare Prandelli would approach this particular fixture. He went in with an elementary 3-5-2, with the Juventus trio of Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini protecting Buffon. Maggio and Giaccherini played the role of auxiliary wing backs and were tasked with the job of leading attacks and building up play. The pair of De Rossi and Pirlo was extremely effective in midfield. De Rossi played like the battering ram he is; and even 34-year-old Pirlo was giving his 100% till the 120^th minute. Pirlo dictated play from deep, and the duo, along with Marchisio, did an excellent job of breaking up play and destroying Spain’s stranglehold on possession. Spain had only 54% possession throughout the match, and that says a lot about Italy’s hard work in midfield. Spain themselves were set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Torres leading the attack and Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta completing a three-man midfield. Del Bosque once again chose Silva over Mata, which, in my opinion, was a wrong decision.