HAVING waited 55 years to make another appearance in the final of an international tournament, England will take on Italy in Sunday’s Euro 2020 show piece game at Wembley. Standing between Gareth Southgate’s side and footballing immortality is Italy, a team that has caught the like no other over the last month or so.

Indeed, the Azzurri have been tournament frontrunners for many since they kicked off the whole thing with an impressive 3-0 win over Turkey on opening night. Roberto Mancini has built a team that is more than the sum of its parts, which is saying something given the quality of those individual parts. Here’s why Southgate and his players should be wary.

What sort of team are they?

Mancini has forged a team that can play in a number of different ways. The Azzurri started the tournament playing a brand of free-flowing, dynamic football that represented a departure from the days of archetypal Italian Catenaccio. Six goals in their first two games illustrated the verve with which Italy were operating.

When required to, though, Italy have contracted into a counter-attacking outfit. This is how they made it past Spain in the semi-finals, with the attacking quality of Federico Chiesa making the difference. With England likely to control a lot of the ball through Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice, it’s likely Mancini will once again emphasis the importance of taking opportunities on the break.

Mancini’s backline means Italy rely on their high full backs for width, particularly on the left side. A midfield trio gives them a platform in the centre of the pitch while a fluid front three is given the freedom to exploit space wherever they can find it. This Italy team is adaptable and will tailor their approach to the task at hand on Sunday.

Who are their key players?

Leonardo Spinazolla was among Italy’s most important players, and one of the stars of Euro 2020, until an Achilles injury suffered in the quarter-final win over Belgium ruled him out of the rest of the tournament. Without the Roma full back, the Azzurri don’t have the same intensity and mobility down the left wing. 

Nonetheless, Italy still boast a number of elite level performers who could make the difference against England. Having missed the first two games of the tournament through injury, Marco Verratti has grown with every game he has played, while Jorginho has carried his sparkling club form into the international arena.

Chiesa is capable of producing something out of nothing in the final third while at the other end of the pitch Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, not to mention Gianluigi Donnarumma, give Italy the defensive solidity required to go all the way at a major tournament. They have real quality all over the pitch.

Is that Chiesa goal last night giving anyone else deja vu? pic.twitter.com/97t9BEmNHu

— Ralphie (@powellyowl) July 7, 2021

Why should England be worried?

Southgate will surely be tempted to match up to Italy’s back five with a back five of his own, like he did for the last 16 tie against Germany, otherwise Luke Shaw and Kyle Walker could find themselves overloaded by the opposition wing backs coupled with the fluid front three deployed by Mancini in every game at Euro 2020 so far.

Italy’s midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Jorginho and Verratti, with Manuel Locatelli available off the bench, will put a lot of pressure on Phillips and Rice to control the game for England in the centre of the pitch. Either Mason Mount will have to drop deep to provide some support or Jordan Henderson could play from the start to form a central three.

Much has been made of Southgate’s system at Euro 2020 and how it has sustained England, but Italy have also bought into the ideas and approach of their manager. The Azzurri are so synchronised and co-ordinated in their on and off-the-ball movement, they look more like a club team than an international outfit.

Score prediction: Italy 2-1 England

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