Spectators of the ongoing European Championships that may not have kept up with Italian football over the past few years may be a tad confused watching the Italian national side that escaped into the last 16, where they take on a spirited Switzerland side on Saturday.
Defending champions they may be, but having failed to qualify for World Cups on either side of their triumph in London three years ago, Italy were far from the favourites coming into this tournament – a fact laid bare by their laboured performances against Spain and Croatia in the group stages.
This is an unconventional Italian team. That is not down to their style — Roberto Mancini’s side that won in 2021 showed how the national football identity had long binned ‘Catenaccio’ for modern systems of short passing and hard pressing. The confusion, though, appears in their lack of conviction, weighed down by the ‘win at all costs’ history of the team and the style of play and attitude their coach, Luciano Spalletti, wishes to impose.
Mancini’s team, progressive as it may have been, found the right blend of positive tactics and individualism to trump more talented sides in Spain and England to lift the title. And even that team outperformed the sum of its parts.
They scored goals through set pieces. Big personalities and star power often showed. The tried and tested central defensive partnership of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci shored up the back. Marco Verratti and Jorginho glided through midfield. Federico Chiesa’s explosive dribbling skills left defenders in splits.
Many of those players have departed the scene; of the few that remain, their desired effect has waned. Spalletti does not have the kind of individual ability that his predecessor had at his disposal. Their two standout performers this year have been goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and centre back Riccardo Califiori, who made his national team debut just last month.
Serie A may be competitive and exciting; Italian clubs may be doing well in European competitions, but that is not thanks to many Italian players. The ‘Growth Decree’ tax relief law, introduced by the Italian authorities in mid-2019 and done away with earlier this year, allowed clubs to save more than 50% on the salary taxes when signing players from abroad, making it more affordable and accessible for teams to import foreign talent and compete with clubs from the Premier League and La Liga.
As a result, the Inter Milan sides that have won two scudettos and reached a Champions League final in the last four years were not brimming with domestic talent. Neither was the AC Milan team that won the title in 2022, or Spalletti’s own Napoli side that lifted a first league title in 33 years in 2023.
With a more inexperienced, less talented squad, just 10 months into the job, Spalletti is also attempting to reset the stereotypical Italian football culture.
“Everyone always says the same thing. The executives at the Federcalcio (Italian Football Federation) even do it now: ‘Mister (Coach), the important thing is to win’. It’s been that way since I started coaching kids. ‘The important thing is to win’. I disagree,” Spalletti was quoted as saying by The Athletic after an impressive win over Albania. “The important thing is to play well. That’s the only path.”
“If you are a team that just runs, that does not play the ball, that just gives the ball to the opponent, that’s not a kind of football I like,” he was quoted as saying by The Guardian after a lacklustre showing against Spain. “That’s a difficult style for me to teach, because I don’t know how to do it. I’m the least suitable person for that.”
Consider Italy’s showing against Albania, in which they recovered after conceding the fastest goal in Euros history and completed a whopping 750 passes, and that eloquently-worded idealism seems apt.
Consider their two dire performances after that, in which they looked flat going forward, confused at the back, and if not for a last-minute stunner, unsure of their place in the knockouts, and it smacks of naivete.
Italy stands at a potential turning point in this tournament. A slice of fortune has slotted them in the less competitive half of the draw — the biggest tests in their way to the final seem to be a faltering England and a high-flying, overperforming Austria.
At the same time, their next match itself feels like a giant obstacle. Switzerland are the antidote to this modern Italian team — experienced players in a system they are used to, forwards that can break with speed and finish chances, smart pragmatic tactics, and a solid defence.
There are big decisions to be made for Italy from here on. The introduction of the 3-5-2 system, over the usual 4-3-3, did not seem to have much of a positive effect but may be required for solidity, given Califiori’s suspension. At the same time, Italy can’t seem to buy a goal. Their midfield has been loose in possession, but the instructions are clear over attempting to run the game from there and hold as much of the ball.
These calls are all likely to test Spalletti’s convictions. But he’s unlikely to waver from them.