Italy-Argentina 0-3, Lautaro, DI Maria and Dybala scored in the Wembley final

From our correspondent Fabio Licari

1st of June
– London

There is nothing wrong with admitting it. The tale of Mancini’s beautiful Italy is over. That’s enough. Locked down. We have to start from scratch or almost. He doesn’t leave the World Cup like that without consequences. Argentina, too strong for us, bares all the cracks and takes the Wembley Grand Final. They have Messi, Di Maria (Juve, did you see?) And Lautaro (Inter, think about it), plus Dybala (Juve, eat your hands) who enters and in two minutes displaces Donnarumma: together they multiply their coefficient of phenomena and, protected from a solid and technical team, they send us to the air well beyond the 3-0 signed by Lautaro-Di Maria-Dybala. We end up in pieces, with Mancini resorting to 3-5-2 but also improvising in the tregenda, as if the magic touch was gone. They have reasons, we don’t even play the game anymore. Sorry for Chiellini who, in the 117th and last, deserved a more worthy farewell, but for sure someone like him will be missed. Now there is no time to waste, starting with the Nations and remembering that, if we go wrong there too, we will put the European draw and everything else at risk. Only Donnarumma, who avoids the goleada, and a little Raspadori and Barella are saved. The rest is to be forgotten.

MESSI CANNOT BE TAKEN

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The superiority of Argentina in the first half is impressive. Control of the ball and of the game, defensive closures, exchanges in attack speed bring the blues to their knees. The discourse of absences is valid up to a certain point, Jorginho lacks Verratti, Bernardeschi is not Chiesa, Belotti struggles, but only a year ago we were talking about all the owners. It is that Italy has downsized itself, beyond the (casual, yes) elimination with Macedonia. The 4-3-3 of Argentina is very mobile thanks to the total movement of Messi who seems rejuvenated or, perhaps, is recharged by an Italy that does not know how to take him. Their median with De Paul, Rodriguez and Lo Celso is not spectacular but it does the job of protecting the three in front perfectly. Mancini probably moved Barella to the left in an attempt to contain the start of the Parisian’s action: for a while the Inter player wears himself out by pressing and restarts that get applause, but then Messi takes off and Italy lands. Mancini’s 4-3-3 does not find automatisms and creativity, it is firm and predictable.

TWO BEAUTIFUL GOALS

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Rather sorry that the goal arrives at the best moment, the only one. From 15 ‘to 30’ of the first half, as Argentina does not sting, Italy takes courage and, instead of waiting as before, sinks. Emerson on the left does the Spinazzola, or Theo, sinking and crossing. Raspadori, on the left, is the liveliest and tactically intelligent. Chiellini seems to close everything. But it is an illusion. With Messi you cannot lose concentration even for a moment. Bern loses the ball, Di Lorenzo defends it badly against Messi who seizes it, enters the area of ​​arrogance and supports Lautaro at the sidelines: 1-0. From this moment Italy disappears while Messi, Lautaro and Di Maria go to the chair. If the first goal is beautiful, the second is beautiful. Bonucci, who has already taken a “yellow” elbow from “orange” on Messi, lets slip Lautaro who invents an extraordinary assist in depth for Di Maria who at speed burns Chellini and mock Donnarumma.

WHAT A FIGURE

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The first half offers a couple of flashes of Italy, the second is a real massacre. Mancini revolutionizes Italy twice. First he inserts Lazzari on the right, moves Di Lorenzo in the middle for Chiellini and Pessina advances in attack (with Locatelli in the middle). Then, inside Spinazzola for Pessina himself, he goes to 3-5-2 but Scamacca, a new blue 9 for Belotti, is as if he didn’t exist. Indeed, it is Italy that no longer exists. On the other side Di Maria and Messi go wild with four fantastic shots which Donnarumma opposes, better than a small Italy and almost humiliated by South Americans. Argentina laughs at the Azzurri who close without being able to organize even one action. Dybala, just entered, makes the 3-0 with a touch of him. Goodbye. Time for renewal. But there will be work to do. Much.