Under-21 European Championship, Nicolato: “Many formations, a good group. Gnonto will play as a forward”

The smile on his face demonstrates more than words how profitable the work towards the Under 21 European Championship is. Paolo Nicolato, before leaving for Romania, took stock of the situation regarding the Azzurrini, with particular insistence on the game systems. He always talks about it a lot and often inappropriately, given that by now all over Europe the teams are increasingly hybrid, capable of changing their set-up according to the situation, the opponents, the needs of the match. “There’s a lot of debate about game systems, but there shouldn’t be the idea that it’s a system that makes you win or lose games. Anyone who thinks this is left behind by 30 years: there isn’t an offensive or a defensive module, there are modules that are more suitable for players and others that are less suitable. In the qualifiers, out of 10 matches we played 7 with the 4-3-3, one with the 4-2-3-1 and two with the 3-5-2, plus friendlies with the 3-5-2. A coach must be able to teach all the systems, then we think about the players and the strategy. Football goes in another direction, it has evolved, players need to be put in a position to express their talent. The 3-5-2 in Under 21s was born because we never had wingers available to make the 4-3-3 and because all our defenders in the clubs play 3-man. It wasn’t my individual choice, it was made for personal tastes . I’ve been coaching for 35 years and for 30 I’ve been defending at 4, but if there’s a need, I’ll do something else”.

In perspective

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Perhaps it is precisely the friendly defeats against England and Germany that have polluted the vision of this team, but it is also right to put things in the right perspective: in two years with Nicolato, Italy have lost just two games, with Sweden immediately after the summer-Covid and in extra time against Portugal in the quarterfinals of the 2021 European Championship. Playing with the 3-5-2 or with the 4-3-3 (but for example sacrificing Colombo on the right wing). Above all by valuing guys who maybe didn’t even play in their clubs: Frattesi, Scamacca, Pinamonti, Salvatore Esposito, Rovella, just to name a few… And precisely on these assumptions Nicolato establishes: “My future doesn’t interest me, I think differently, I think about getting the best out of my boys, and in recent years we have valued many of them. In Italy we think about the result but that type of evaluation doesn’t interest me, or rather it shouldn’t be the only yardstick”.

Gnonto

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The coach also spoke about Willy Gnonto, who will join the Under 21 squad after his commitments with the senior national team: “I see him as a striker – explains Nicolato -, even a first striker with particular characteristics, I see him less on the wing, but if of necessity he did it in the national team and in the club and therefore he can also play as a winger, but my feeling is that he is not a classic winger. If anything, one of the two up front, or central striker in the 4-3-3, because he attacks very deep, he knows how to float on the opponent’s line, he has the starting point in the last meters ”. Another striker on whom Nicolato relies heavily is Pietro Pellegri: “The national team shirt must be deserved, it must be given to those who deserve it, this is the line we have always held. And Pellegri deserves it. He’s doing great, compatibly with his condition as a player who hasn’t played much and hasn’t played 90 minutes for a long time. He’s feeling good, he’s giving us everything, he’s never stopped training, and it hasn’t been easy for him. I bet a lot on Pietro, he has the will to do very well. There is this unknown factor of a boy who has played very little. In the offensive department, except for Cambiaghi, the others have all played little. Colombo a little more but in the last third of the championship he played less, no Cancellieri, no Pellegri, Gnonto yes and no. The unknown, if we have one, is there. Over the three games it could be a problem”.

Group

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On the other hand, the coach has great confidence: “Building the group was much simpler than expected, I expected it but not at these levels. They are all guys who have worked with me, I expected a simple entry but not so much. We’re good together: this doesn’t guarantee results but it increases the chances, from the point of view of the team it’s more complex but with these ingredients we’ll know which team we’ll put on. I hope to experience important and strong emotions and to share them. The results depend up to a certain point on us, because the quality of the opponents must also be considered. I hope this experience adds to the previous ones. The hope, more than the ambition that has always been there, is to improve further. What matters most is sharing emotions that bind us forever.