Kevin Volland had an offside goal disallowed, while Andrea Belotti struck the far post late on in the second half as Italy and Germany rallied to a hard-fought goalless stalemate at the Estadio Giuseppe Meazza.
The friendly did not do many favours to either country’s FIFA rankings, but it allowed both teams to experiment their less experienced players in a less taxing environment.
The game was not without its share of quality football, but both sides defended in a manner befitting the football culture of their own countries. Germany dominated possession and had more shots, but Italy had the best chance of the game. The whole game was played in an end-to-end fashion, with neither team taking too many risks in possession and opting to keep the ball moving from wing-to-wing.
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Here are 5 talking points from the game.
#1 Italy’s lineup and tactical setup
In one of Giampiero Ventura’s crucial early friendlies in the early part of his tenure, he set his side up in a 3-4-3 formation. He also fielded a number of untested players. Torino right wing-back Zappacosta was fielded in only his second international, while United full-back Matteo Darmian occupied the left wing-back role.
Striker Belotti earned only his 5th international cap.
Out of the back 3, only Bonucci had significant international experience, while Rugani and Romagnoli have yet to feature for Italy in a major international tournament. Simone Zaza and Nicolas Sansone were thrown on at the fag end of the game.
Understandably, Italy were on the backfoot from kickoff against a comparatively seasoned Germany side, even though Die Mannschaften were playing away from home.
#2 Germany’s lineup, tactical setup and changes
Most of Germany’s players who were fielded against San Marino in the World Cup qualifier last week were taken off for this important friendly, including star debutant Serge Gnabry (who had a hat trick to his name versus San Marino).
Germany played in an unusual 3-6-1 setup. Mustafi, Hummels and Howedes set up a formidable backline, while Kimmich and Yannick Gerhardt played in the wing-back roles on the left and right respectively. Julian Weigl and Sebastian Rudy played as the central defensive midfielders, while Goretzka and Gundogan played further up front in support of Muller.
Following the break, a spree of changes saw the likes of Volland, Gnabry and Gotze come on for the visitors. None of the three substitutes got going against a well-organised Italian team defending expertly in the San Siro – one of the most intimidating stadiums in Europe.
#3 Thomas Muller’s indifferent form
Joachim Loew’s search for an in-form striker has been a fruitless endeavour. He has been at it ever since World Cup record goalscorer Miroslav Klose announced his retirement from international football following their triumph in Brazil, and yet, nobody in the German national team setup has been able to cement their berth in the lineup in the striker’s role.
In Leonardo Bonucci’s thoroughly experienced hands, Muller was severely limited in terms of clear-cut chances to shoot on goal. He kept the back three on their toes with his typically unpredictable, incisive movements, but Italy’s seasoned defenders were able to easily keep him at bay on the night.
He needs to improve his showings if Germany are to find a permanent solution for the striker’s role.
#4 Testing of the Video Assistant Referees Programme
FIFA selected this international friendly as their first testing fixture for the video assistant referees’ programme. President Gianni Infantino took his spot in the assistants’ bunker to look at proceedings.
There are 2 types of VAR technologies available. The version used in yesterday’s clash was the semi-live version (which essentially means that the referee isn’t allowed to watch the replays on a pitchside monitor). VARs are of best use to resolve 4 kinds of situations – goals, penalty incidents, red cards and cases of mistaken identity.
The match yesterday did not have much by the way of any of these 4 kinds of incidents, except a contentious incident involving Belotti and two German defenders when the on-field referee came under scrutiny.
Artur Soares Dias waved away the penalty appeal, which looked to be a close call in live time. The rest of the game saw no more need for the assistance of the VAR programme – if FIFA wanted to experiment the VAR system in its full glory, this match was not a great occasion for that.
#5 Gianluigi Buffon matches Iker Casillas’ record
Buffon made his 167th international appearance for the Italian national team. This takes him level with former Real Madrid custodian Iker Casillas as the most-capped international player in Europe.
The 38-year-old was his usual, imperious self yesterday as he put in a neat, chanceless shift in goal for Italy. While he came off at half-time for breakthrough Milan teenager and his namesake Gianluigi Donnaruma, the rest of Europe will have noted how the elder statesman of Italian football has shown virtually no signs of slowdown whatsoever.
With Buffon announcing that the 2018 World Cup will be his last major international tournament, it remains to be seen how far he can extend this appearances record.
