POSSESSIVE SPAIN FEAR AN ITALIAN JOB
ITALY’S DIZZYING PACE AND FINISHING MIGHT PROVE TO BE DECISIVE AGAINST ON-AND-OFF SPAIN
What's the story?
In their absolute tiki-taka pomp, Spain swept Italy aside 4-0 in the final of UEFA EURO 2012, but the balance of power has shifted a little since. Italy eliminated La Roja with a 2-0 win in the 2016 round of 16 and come to Wembley having won each of their last 13 international matches, while also being unbeaten in 32 (W27 D5). Their dizzying pace and killer finishing proved too much for a talented Belgium team last time out.
Luis Enrique's Spain have been enigmatic to say the least; after group stage draws against Sweden and Poland, they beat Slovakia 5-0 to reach the last 16, where they scored five again, though it took extra time to finish off Croatia. A string of missed chances then allowed ten-man Switzerland to take them to penalties in the quarter-finals, but top-class opponents like Italy may yet bring out the best in them.
Why Italy will win EURO 2020
The Azzurri play attacking possession-based football with three technically skilled midfielders like Marco Verratti, Jorginho (the real brain of the team) and Nicolò Barella constantly moving the ball quickly. Their three attackers combine well and can always score great goals, as Federico Chiesa demonstrated against Austria and Lorenzo Insigne against Belgium, to mention a couple.
However, when required the Azzurri have also proved that they can form a solid blockade to protect Gianluigi Donnarumma with veteran centre-backs Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci transforming into gladiators, capable of disposing of every ball that comes near the Azzurri box. The perfect combination of youth and age.
Best goalkeeper?
I think that Kevin De Bruyne will still be thinking about his first-half shot against Italy in the quarter-finals. The Manchester City midfielder had directed the ball perfectly towards the far post with a powerful, curled effort. He was primed to celebrate when, all of a sudden, the big hand of a diving Donnarumma appeared to turn his effort away.
At only 22 years old, the 'veteran' goalkeeper has already earned 31 caps for Italy and played in 215 Serie A games with AC Milan. Is it possible to fill the void left by a certain Gianluigi Buffon? Yes, when you are Gianluigi 2.0.
The strength of the group From day one, every single player in the squad has stressed how united this group is. "We don’t have players like Ronaldo or Lukaku," says Bonucci. "Our star is the group." The centre-back added that this is probably the best Italy squad he has been in – some claim considering he's earned over 100 caps.
It's obvious that Mancini has done a terrific job. The players seem to enjoy every minute together and this is reflected on the pitch; every player is ready to help their team-mates, and those starting on the bench are always ready to contribute. "We're never scared of making mistakes because we can always rely on our team-mates to give 100% and rescue us," says Federico Acerbi. "This makes the difference." It does.
On the other hand...
Losing Spinazzola was a terrible blow for Mancini. The Roma left-back has been one of the tournament's best surprises; he has twice been named Star of the Match. He seemed to be everywhere in the last-eight contest with Belgium until sustaining an Achilles injury which is likely to rule him out for a long time.
In that match, within a few crucial second-half minutes, Spinazzola made a goal-line block from a close-range Romelu Lukaku effort and went close to volleying in at the other end. His incredible energy will be sorely missed by Italy. Will the Azzurri be the same without super Spinazzola?
Why Spain will win EURO 2020
The killer instinct is there, somewhere
When it rains, it pours. If Spain are on form, if they are happy in their skins, then a goal can lead to a torrent. It’s not their defining characteristic but it’s still a central part of their DNA.
In recent seasons they’ve put six past Argentina and Germany, five past Slovakia and Croatia, four past Ukraine and, not all that long ago, three past Italy. Twelve goals this tournament equals the total that they hit in winning UEFA EUROs 2008 and 2012 – back when they had David Villa and/or Fernando Torres!
Stomach for the fight
Spain, it seems, have learned to deal with adversity. "Do the challengers have a glass jaw?" was part of the inquisitory tone of both the Spanish media and, still more, the international swarm of journalists who cover La Roja in tournaments. It was a fair point, because this is still a work in progress and had Sergio Ramos or Iñigo Martínez been fit, they’d have been in this squad.