Post-EURO blues
the Squadra Azzurra has been looking for form since the triumph at Wembley – and has not found it again to this day. Mancini hasn’t found an answer to the Italian post-EURO blues either.
One problem: The Squadra Azzurra is currently struggling where it was particularly strong last summer. The European Championship team, trimmed by Mancini for attacking, dominant football, rotated around a reliable axis. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was a bench, was awarded the player of the tournament. Iconic defender duo Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci looked insurmountable. In midfield, Jorginho rose to “European Footballer of the Year”. And at the front, football Europe was amazed by the goals and the dynamics of the young Enrico Chiesa and the magic technique of Lorenzo Insignes.
Injuries and form crises
And now? The main EURO heroes are injured or out of shape. Donnarumma shows weak knees and slippery fingers at Paris St.Germain. Chiellini and Bonucci are struggling from one injury to the next, Jorginho is less reliable than in the past and Chiesa is currently out of the game after tearing his cruciate ligament, Insigne is struggling with form crises and injuries.
On the other hand, since little has grown in Italy’s football during the season, Mancini is forced to rely on EURO-proven. With Jorginho, Nicolò Barella and Marco Verratti in midfield, and Lorenzo Insigne, Ciro Immobile and Domenico Berardi in attack. He has the biggest worries “Inspector Technical” currently where Italy traditionally never has any worries – in defence.
Hoping for the Mancini Effect
Both Chiellini and Bonucci will probably not be fit in time for the game against North Macedonia. Right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo from Naples has also signed off injured at short notice. And Leonardo Spinazzola, the man on the left winger, is still convalescent after tearing his Achilles tendon. Italy must go into the all-or-nothing games with a B-defense.
What remains is the hope for an old-new Mancini effect. After taking office, the coach almost always managed to ensure that his chosen players played better in the national team than in the club. From Italy’s point of view, the World Cup playoffs would be a good time to revive the Mancini effect.
There should be enough support in the home game against North Macedonia Squadra Azzurra not lack. The Stadio Barbera in Palermo will be sold out with 31,000 spectators. Also thanks to an exemption from the government. According to Covid rules, only a 75 percent capacity utilization of the stadiums is currently possible in Italy. The Secretary of State for Sport and Olympic fencing champion Valentina Vezzali signed an order especially for the playoff against North Macedonia, which only allows 100 percent capacity utilization for this game. The tension before this game can be felt in Italy right up to the government.