ITALY’S 3-5-2 PAYS DIVIDEND

ITALY surprised people with their victory over Belgium on Monday night and I read that the manager Marc Wilmots was unhappy with their style of play.

I think the Belgians were caught out by the 3-5-2 system.

If the opponent plays this way and they are well drilled and concentrated, it is difficult to break them down. You need patience but you also need ingenuity and invention.

If I was preparing a team to face Italy now, I’d be urging the players to move the ball faster. I’d want to be getting my No 10s and my most gifted players on the ball between the lines, drawing the three centrehalves out of position, making them commit to challenges that take them out of their usual shape.

I’d want my full-backs to make runs on the overlap and inside to really stretch the Italians. I’d be looking for attacking chaos to disrupt their order. The secret to unlocking the door is to be unpredictable.

From the Belgian perspective, they still seem to be searching for their true identity. They have extraordinarily gifted individuals but in tournament football, the best collectives with a defined way of playing and togetherness tend to do best.