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Italy and the Netherlands are two of the best teams in the UEFA Nations League when it comes to being blessed with technically astute midfielders. However, neither of the teams could impose themselves on one another on Wednesday night as the competition in the middle of the park was fierce.
If there was one player who stood out on the pitch (after Nicolo Barella), it would be Frenkie De Jong. Yet again, the 21-year-old was pulling the strings for the Netherlands and had a major part to play in their equaliser as he strung a line-breaking through pass for Daley Blind who then crossed it into the box to find Donny Van de Beek.
The game commenced in favour of Italy as the Netherlands failed to get any kind of grip on the game. However, Frank de Boer's men grew into the game soon, courtesy of a half chance which Van de Beek blasted into the top corner to get his side level.
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A close contested fixture came to an end with both teams taking home a point. On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game on Wednesday.
#5 Lack of natural width evident for the Netherlands
Playing without natural wingers, especially in away games, rarely works in favour of the team. One could argue that the wing-backs do the majority of the job a wide winger does. Unfortunately, the Netherlands are not blessed with the best ones.
Hans Hateboer and Daley Blind are decent players but the role seems to be too huge for them to fit in comfortably. The Netherlands played a 5-3-2 formation as they looked to play on the break at times.
However, without any wide threat for the likes of Danilo D'Ambrosio and Leonardo Spinazzola to deal with, Italy found it extremely easy to contest with the away side's counter-attacks. The game plan was not working for the Netherlands in the first half but Jasper Cillessen's heroics, along with Donny van de Beek's instinctive goal, kept them in the game.
#4 A night of squandered chances for both Italy and Netherlands
If the two teams had excelled at something on Wednesday night, it was at missing chances. It was a bad day at the office for the forwards as they missed 1v1s and free headers. Both teams would go back thinking they deserved or could have achieved more from the game.
Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong must be scratching his head watching his highlights as he missed the best chance of the game; a free header from 10 yards out, which he put horrendously wide.
Italy, on the other hand, had 5 shots on target from 6 attempted in the first half alone. While Jasper Cillessen was the Netherlands' best player, and by some distance, Italy must feel they did not test the 31-year-old enough.
Italy created chances aplenty but the one they scored from was a goal with class written all over it. Lorenzo Pellegrini's goal, after he latched on to Nicolo Barella's defence-splitting pass, was too good to be saved. That was one of the very few times when Italy's forwards tested Cillessen to the core.
#3 A Nicolo Barella masterclass for Italy
Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella produced one of the better performances of the week, breaking lines consistently, dribbling his way out of pressure, commanding the zones on the right and setting up Pellegrini for the opener.
Barella found a curving pass behind Netherland's three-man defence as he spotted his teammate making the run, eventually feeding it exactly where he wanted and registering a quality assist.
It is safe to say that Georginio Wijnaldum was no match for Barella when he was tasked with stopping the 23-year-old. The Italian opened up lanes across the pitch and displayed a complete midfielder's performance, bringing much joy to Roberto Mancini, who is one of his biggest admirers.
#2 Netherland's vulnerable highline
The three-man defence formed by the likes of Stefan De Vrij, Virgil Van Dijk and Nathan Ake did not have good game against Italy. These players are impressive for their respective clubs but struggled to play in the high line that Frank de Boer deployed.
While the Dutch failed to dominate much of the ball, only seeing 45% of possession, their incredibly high defensive line almost played into Mancini's game plan. Wide runners, Federico Chiesa and Lorenzo Pellegrini, caused issues for the away side while Moise Kean versus Nathan Ake was a tricky battle to watch in the second half as the Everton man replaced Chiesa.
The last time these Italy and the Netherlands met at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, the Azzuri snatched a late goal through a slick move finished by a polished Barella header, taking away three points right at the death.
It would be safe to say that the Netherlands played better than they did in the reverse fixture but the work ahead is massive. Ronald Koeman has left a huge void, and De Boer cannot be fumbling upon formulas, especially as the Dutch are looking to retain their top spot after fall down the pecking order for group stage qualifications.
#1 Spoils shared at Bergamo
A close encounter came to an end, with the two European giants sharing the spoils. Neither sides were able to unleash themselves truly as chances were met but squandered aplenty.
Roberto Mancini would be pleased to see how Italy dominated the Oranje, and his confidence was sky-high when he was asked about whether Italy would qualify or not. He said:
"We'll win the last two games and we'll qualify."
For the Dutch, it was a bit of a smash-and-grab performance. Luuk de Jong was at the end of one of the Netherlands' better moves on Wednesday night but his attempt was wide and that summed up his team's night.
Van de Beek opened his account for the Netherlands as he snatched away a point but Italy cruised through the majority of the game. Frank de Boer would not be happy with what he saw from the team, especially in the first half.
We did, however, see some elite defending from both sides in the second half, including top-notch saves by the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Jasper Cillessen. While the forwards had a tough day at the office, the defenders of both teams grew into the game and came out as clear winners.
