The Italian national team has opened up the possibility of coming out as champions of Euro 2020, thanks to the opportunity to appear in the final against England on Sunday (11/7/2021). The final match which took place at Wembley Stadium, will be the fourth time for Italy since the championship was initiated in 1960. The highest achievement of the Italian national team in the European Cup is coming out as champion in the 1968 edition, when it was the host.
This time, Italy will instead challenge England in the opponent’s pride stadium to win the first major tournament title since the 2006 World Cup. Winning the Euro 2020 title can also be an antidote to the trauma of the Italian squad, who suffered a crushing 0-4 defeat to Spain in the final match 2012 European Cup. Ahead of the duel against England, coach Roberto Mancini’s squad is considered to have the provisions to be able to embrace the Henri Delaunay trophy.
So, what are the reasons Italy deserves to be seeded to beat England in the final of Euro 2020 later?
Midfield Domination
The performance of the trio midfield of Italian national team consisting of Marco Verratti, Nicolo Barella and Jorginho will duel with two English central midfielders, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips. Although the performance of the Italian midfielders seemed to have faded in the semifinal match against Spain, the three pillars of the Gli Azzurri squad felt more confident ahead of serving England.
“The games against Spain and England are definitely different, the midfield is key and we believe we can make the difference even if the game is at a high tempo,” Verratti said as quoted by the Guardian page.
Depth and Cohesiveness
The Italy squad endured a number of trials en route to the final, including an injury to first-choice left-back Leonardo Spinazzola. However, the role of Spinazzola can be filled well by Emerson Palmieri, despite the assessment that he does not have the same attacking ability.
The rotation decision of coach Roberto Mancini also made Italian players accustomed to working with different players in the team. From there, the Italian national team built their solidarity to get out of difficult situations such as against strong opponents like Belgium (in the quarter-finals) and Spain (semi-finals).
Variations in Game Tactics and Adaptation of Playing Styles
The 4-3-3 game scheme is the main pattern used by coach Roberto Mancini, while accompanying Italy at Euro 2020. However, in a number of situations, Mancini can change his team’s style of play to suit the conditions of the match and the opposing camp. For example, when using a 3-5-2 pattern in the second half of the Group A preliminary match against Switzerland, which ended in a 3-0 win.
“Italy today are no longer dependent on catenaccio, they are able to play by moving the ball between the lines quickly,” said former Germany defender Phillip Lahm. “Roberto Mancini shows a style of play that every player in his team can apply according to their abilities and capacities.” The adaptive side of the Italian squad is considered to be able to determine the development of the final match against England in the top party of Euro 2020.
