Poland vs Italy: 5 Talking Points, UEFA Nations League

#2 Poland persist with two strikers despite being dominated in midfield

Chiellini and Bonucci kept Lewandowski and Milik quiet

Robert Lewandowski was partnered by Arkadiusz Milik in attack and this strategy failed to pay off for Poland.

Italy dominated the ball for large parts of the game, which was due to their superiority in the centre of the park. Jorginho, Marco Verratti, and Nicolo Barella held up the ball well in midfield and did not give many chances for their Polish counterparts to take it off them.

Whenever Italy had the ball, the game was played in Poland's half, which rendered the two Polish strikers upfield useless. Coach Jerzy Brzeczek decided against tweaking his tactics and continued with the two strikers, and Itlay continued to dominate the game and create chances.

Italy's wastefulness in front of goal meant that the game was in the balance till the end, and altering the formation could have turned the tables for Poland.