Italy has won four World Cups and one European Cup at 1968. The last time I shined on the international stage, it was almost the 2006 World Cup final. Italy, with legendary players such as Buffon, Totti, Pirlo and Gattuso, fought a decisive battle with France led by Zinedine Zidane and Henry. In the end, Italy also defeated France by exchanging penalty kicks, and successfully won the World Cup, which became a story for a while. However, in the next World Cup, the blue shirt experienced a low tide and participated as the defending champion, but it was defeated in the group stage and was eliminated. Then in the World Cup held in Brazil, the former 16 didn't show up, and the performance of 20 16 in the European Cup was not very good. The name of this strong team began to be forgotten.
It was not until 20 18 that the legendary Italian star Mancini took office, which made Italy return to the right track within three years. This year, the European Cup entered the harvest period and reached the semi-finals of the European Cup with a winning streak. So, why can Italy beat many powerful teams, reach the semi-finals of the European Cup, or even surpass it? What magic did Mancini put on this once legendary team?
By the time 1/4 defeated Belgium 2- 1, they had been unbeaten for 32 consecutive games, with a winning percentage of over 75%. The last defeat was the 20 18 match against Portugal, which set the longest unbeaten record of the Italian national team since 1939, and recently set a good record of 13 winning streak. In order to reverse Italy's decline, Mancini first established a core team, and then played his 4-3-3 formation with the cooperation of other players. Since Mancini took office, 70 players have been selected in various competitions, but under his leadership, only 7 players have been selected for 20 or more competitions. Chiellini, bonucci, Ciro Immobile and Giorgio are all players in his core team. In order to select the core team, Mancini made great efforts to select the players suitable for the team system from different teams, and then tested their ability and system fit through actual combat.
Italy's left, middle and right attack rate is quite average. Stylistically, Italy is very mature in both the success rate of defensive counterattack and the attack mode established through passing and controlling. Offensively, although Italians play 4-3-3, they usually attack in 3-2-5 formation. Left-back leonardo spinazzola often pushes forward, which makes the left defence overwhelmed. Then because of leonardo spinazzola's pressure, lorenzo insigne gained more freedom in the frontcourt, and was able to control the ball and even attack the midfield. The midfield will be guarded by Iorgi Neo and marco verratti, and the last midfielder will join the attack, disrupting the opponent's defense with the advantage of numbers. Italy has always emphasized the importance and systematicness of defense in the name of Italian defense. Unexpectedly, after Mancini took office, an anti-traditional approach greatly improved Italy's performance.
Jorginho is Mancini's player with the most appearances since he took office, and he is also the core of the Italian midfield. Although in Chelsea's Surrey era, he was often ridiculed by the outside world as a "comfortable king" who only knew how to cross and return the ball. However, during the European Cup, he successfully passed the ball 77 times per game, with a success rate of 94%. With Jorge Mourinho in the midfield line, the success rate of rhythm control and passing can be greatly improved, reducing the chance of midfield being intercepted and counterattacked. In addition to transmission, calmly dealing with penalties has become another must-have skill for him. Chelsea fans all know that Iorgi Mourinho has always been Chelsea's penalty executioner, scoring 7 penalties for Chelsea in 20/2 1 season; In the national team, Italy has scored five penalties since 18, and only roberto baggio (7 goals) and Piero (6 goals) have more than him. I believe it is not difficult to break the record.
Reusing marco verratti has also made the Italian midfield more stable. Marco verratti, 29, plays for the French giant Paris Saint-Germain, and his football style has always been known for its steadiness and pragmatism. Since joining Paris Saint-Germain in 12/ 13 season, he has been the main midfielder of the team. Although the numbers of goals and assists are never bright, his work in ball control, transmission and positioning has always been at a high level. Even if Paris spends a lot of money on his favorite players every year, his position has always been hard to shake. As for his performance in the national team, taking the European Cup as an example, his passing success rate reached 94%, averaging 4 key passes and 2 assists per game. He also had 3.7 tackles in defense, which showed his versatility in midfield.
The essence of Italy's 4-3-3 is to add changeable offensive means to beat opponents in the steady and flashy midfield line. Mancini's wisdom can also be reflected in his tactical system. The biggest difference between managing the national team and the team is that the coach and the players spend less time together, which leads to the players often not fully implementing the coach's tactics and affecting the team's performance, so the tactics of the national team are usually relatively simple.
Mancini's idea in the Italian national team is that instead of forcing unknown tactical concepts into players, it is better to amplify what they use in the team. Taking the midfield line as an example, Iorgi Neo is still the last midfielder of the Italian team, responsible for scheduling and controlling the rhythm of the team; Marco verratti continued to work at PSG, opening up space for the team by controlling passing and walking. The work of the third striker is the same as that of the team, which makes the players feel at home in Mancini's system and makes Italy run more smoothly.
The rise of Serie A small teams has also increased Mancini's "happiness troubles". Because of the disparity in strength between Serie A teams, coaches are often restricted in choosing players. In the past few years, Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan and other giants were the main players. When Inter Milan and AC Milan faded out of the championship and Juventus dominated Serie A, the candidates and level of the Italian national team were even more uneven. In Serie A in recent years, I believe that in addition to Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan, you will also hear the names of Atlanta, Sassuolo and Naples. Atlanta won the third place in the 20/2/Kloc-0 season and advanced to the next round of the Champions League group stage. The rise of these small teams has made the overall strength of Serie A more balanced and provided Mancini with more high-quality players to choose from.
In the list of 26 Italian players in this European Cup, only 7 players are from traditional Italian teams and 3 players are from foreign leagues. More than half of the players are from other Serie A teams, including Atalanta, Rome and Sassuolo. For example, Manuel Locatelli, who scored twice, and domenico berardi, who assisted twice, are all Sassuolo people. It can be seen that Mancini is not narrow-minded in employing people and will not focus on the players of big teams.
In addition, Mancini's choice of players is also very changeable. In addition to the fixed core lineup, he also rotates from time to time, making the sense of healthy competition among players stronger. Take Belgium in the quarter-finals. I estimate that at present Mancini thinks the best striker combination is lorenzo insigne, Ciro Immobile and Federico Chiesa, but Mancini also dares to try and put domenico berardi and Federico Bernadetsky in the lineup, hoping to spark new sparks. After Mancini took office, he was also determined to make Italy, known as the Old People's Army, younger. 20 16 European Cup against Belgium, then coach Kong Di discharged the lineup, with an average age of 3 1.5 years old; In the last quarter-finals of the European Cup, it was also against Belgium. Mancini ranked at an average age of 28.9 years, with a gap of nearly three years.
In addition to constantly providing opportunities for players to compete in the team, Mancini is also very considerate of the players' feelings and gives them a greater sense of belonging to the national team. "It's hard to make a choice. Many players are used to playing important games, and it will be a pity if they are abandoned. The most important thing is that we can trust these players. " At the end of the match against Wales, Mancini replaced Donaruma with substitute goalkeeper Salvato Le Sirigu. In fact, Mancini's action is totally unnecessary, but he understands that the players want to play football. This seemingly insignificant behavior can really make players feel valued and play a very important role in improving morale.
Italy really gave you a lot of surprises this year. The team also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup with an unbeaten attitude, and will finally play against the Matador Spain. Many people's impressions of Italy or Serie A are still stuck in old-age football, Premier League retired leagues and so on, but in recent years, Serie A has indeed shown signs of recovery. The strength of the national team seems to be no accident, but the conclusive evidence that coach Mancini has put the team back on track. Whether Italy can have the last laugh depends on whether Mancini can create a greater miracle than leading Manchester City to win the 20 12 Premier League title.