A journey to the origins of Italian football's problems

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We have not played a knockout match in a World Cup since the final won against France in 2006. Since then, the balance has been dismal: two eliminations in the group stage (2010 and 2014) and two consecutive failed qualifications. The heavy defeat against Norway (which also seriously jeopardizes access to the North American World Cup next year) dramatically brings the issue of the crisis of Italian football back to the center of the debate . A deep crisis, which not even the episodic victory at Euro 2021 has managed to resolve. What are the real causes of this technical decline?

Isn't it that the problem is the excessive insistence on the 5-3-2 with a low block as a basic system? A setup that leads to building players suited only for that type of football, starting from the outside, all fifth-footed, but without the flashes of the classic wingers of the past, the Salas, the Causios, the Bruno Contis.

“You hit the nail on the head,” Beppe Bergomi , 1982 World Cup winner, Sky commentator and youth sector coach, tells us. “Let’s start from this assumption: I know the Inter environment well. Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 was certainly done in a modern way, because it’s a 3-5-2 that made us have fun… but if we look at the numbers, they tell us that the Nerazzurri were the last team for attempted dribbles, despite the Champions League finals, the Scudetto and the other victories. The key is there, because if I look around Europe I see that the starting point is given by three offensive players in one-on-one situations (Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, ​​Liverpool, Manchester City… come to mind).”

"The scouts who travel around Europe tell me that you start from there to go and get the players. A back four, with players who know how to handle one-on-one situations at the back, with fast central defenders, certainly helps to have a similar set-up with three references in attack."

“Lately we are trying to evolve, to propose one-on-one training and to go and find those talented players who maybe aren't ready, but who should be waited for. Even at the risk of not finding anything afterwards. I had a great teacher like Mino Favini when I coached in the youth sector of Atalanta and he told me exactly this, that talented players should be waited for. Then we lack a bit of courage in making them play”.

“If you notice, our national team has many good midfielders because, they told me at Coverciano, at a certain point we copied Spain, with even the centre forwards who were used to act as a support and never to attack the depth. Now we have found some centre forwards (Kean, Retegui), but before there was a moment of great crisis in the role. We should work there, in the construction of these talented players. But we know that, when you get to the top, the result counts for a lot in Italy and you struggle to propose certain things ”.

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In short, has there been an attempt to play football that is too much about passing and 'playing with your teammate' instead of cultivating a healthy individuality? "In my opinion, this is not the point," says Filippo Galli , former Milan defender and former director of the Rossoneri club's youth sector and current head of the methodological area at Parma. "Your teammate is important, collaboration is important. The problem is not that we no longer play one-on-one. Football is a team sport, about collaboration. This needs to be trained, not technique as an end in itself. Technique is only learned in game situations, including teammates and opponents. This doesn't mean you shouldn't play 1-on-1, absolutely not... but let's get it out of our heads that problems are solved by working on individuality. We work on teams, we work on individuality within teams ."

For Simone Contran , coach and collaborator of Roberto Mancini with Italy and Saudi Arabia, the issue concerns the “training methodology. Even when we say that the youth national teams win: it’s true (I worked with the youth selections), but because the preparation of the coaches and the tactical organization is excellent. We get results (victories and finals in the U17 and U19 European Championships, finalists in the U20 World Cup) not because of talent, but because of tactical organization. If you go and look at the players of England, Spain, France, Germany… they have much more talent than us. The results are one thing, the performances on the pitch are another. The results alone are not enough to say whether there is talent or not. We start from the idea that, if you win, then you have good players. That’s not the case. If you win with the youth teams you have a good tactical organization, which makes up for the qualitative shortcomings”.

“Then yes, from a young age we focus too much on passing the ball, stopping and passing… instead we should play much more 1 on 1, make the kids change roles, not make them play in fixed positions: today you're the goalkeeper, tomorrow you're the defender, the day after tomorrow the attacker…”.

“Saying that they don't play in the streets anymore has nothing to do with it, they don't play in the streets anywhere anymore, not even in Brazil…”.

“The 5-3-2 then really kills wingers and attacking midfielders, who are the essence of football. Then we also struggle on a physical level. We think we have physical players, but then, in terms of intensity, they struggle on an international level”.

According to Andrea Carnevale , Udinese's scouting manager, it's also a question of mentality. "Dealing with young people, I also see the difference between the boys of then and those of now."

"I think there was more passion, much more heart, much more will, much more hunger to get there. These terms concern me, but also the whole old generation of players of the past."

“Totti was the last great champion and he stopped eight years ago. Every era has had its champions, we had them until 2006. That team was the last Italy of champions. Today I see many good guys, good Serie A players, but there are no more absolute champions ”.

As you can understand, the problem is complex and there is no simple or univocal solution. At the moment, in terms of quality, we are clearly behind the strongest national teams. It is up to the FIGC, in the coming years, to find solutions to fill this gap and bring the movement back to the levels of the past .

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