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In Friday night’s 2-1 victory over Belgium, the lethal combination of flair, tenacity, and togetherness has made Italy the team to beat in Euro 2020. Now only one step away from securing a final spot in the tournament since their defeat to Spain in the 2012 finals, Italy are on the verge of something special.
Roberto Mancini has been perfecting a sensational recipe that seems to have encapsulated the perfect blend of generations before them. While their flamboyance further up the pitch has righty been taking the plaudits, having only conceded two goals in their five games thus far, their defensive mean streak stands at equal measure.
Italy’s centre-half pairing of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini needs barely any introduction; it could almost be forged of previous Azzurri defensive legends. If you were to reel off the qualities of a typical Italian central defender, the Juventus pair would possess them all. Strength? Check. Bravery? Check. Knowhow? Check. Can a play a bit too? Check. What’s even more remarkable is that the pair share 70 years on the planet between them.
Still, a combinati0n of injury and Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup hasn’t yet cemented their partnership as the gold standard of what seemingly, should be a given on paper. Ultimately, only a trophy will truly define their time in the Italian blue.
In what will most likely be their last tournament together with 127 caps between them, both players have an incredible opportunity to finish on a high. To this point in the tournament so far, Bonucci has yet to be booked and almost incredibly in this modern era of minimal contact, the 34-year-old is yet to concede a single free-kick. Boasting a 92% pass completion rate, his style of play perfectly complements the Italians ability to take care of possession further up the pitch.
“It’s been a number of years now that I’ve heard that they have been the best centre back pairing in world football but their strength is that they want to prove that this is still the case match in match out. I think that’s very important for a player to prove that they are the best in their position.” – Roberto Mancini
Despite Chiellini missing Italy’s previous two games against Austria and Wales, he stepped up to the challenge of returning against Serie A’s top goalscorer Romelu Lukaku and more than answered the prayers of a nation. Lukaku was limited to but a few opportunities in a battle that Chiellini dominated. With the pace and power that the Inter Milan striker possesses, it was handled with the usual pomp, with Lukaku having his least amount of touches in the tournament (just 23 in the 90 minutes)- not bad for a 36-year old that had been recovering from injury.
Bonucci, who had a tough evening up against Austrian Marko Arnautović in the first round at Wembley, will face a different challenge on Tuesday despite being up against a very familiar face in his Juventus teammate from last season, Álvaro Morata.
With two goals to his name in the Championships thus far, Bonucci could not hide his respect for the man and the footballer in coping with a difficult period under intense scrutiny over his goalscoring ability.
“First and foremost Álvaro is a friend of mine. We often spend a lot of time together and I was really struck by what happened to him. I know what it’s like to read certain things and feel certain things. I’ve always been right behind him, he’s always had my support. He’s a complete striker, because he can run into space. can make late runs and he holds the ball up well. He’s one of the best centre forwards in world football” – Leonardo Bonucci.
While their key experience at the back makes them an automatic favourite, the Italian spirit has shone through in the face of adversity. Against the Austrians, they clawed themselves back into the game and into the next round through grit and determination, whilst a no fear mindset saw them deservedly past the much hyped Belgians.
The squad’s bond, which has been evident since the tournament opener in Rome, points towards a happy camp, but what has perhaps separated them from previous Italian sides is their sense of fun and to enjoy the moment, a factor that has been well and truly encouraged by Roberto Mancini.
On the evening of their Euro 2020 squad announcement in June, the entire squad and management team appeared in a national television extravaganza, sprinkled with a song (freestyle rapping), dance and table football. It was a far cry from the ultra-serious approach that the national team has become accustomed to over the decades, but it’s an approach that has encapsulated life behind the scenes in The Azzurri camp.
Italy’s Euro 2020 squad announcement operating on a totally different level pic.twitter.com/NzsD7L9aCG
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) June 1, 2021
“I think when everyone gets on very well, that’s the best possible working environments. It’s not easy to spend so much time together as a group of players. So the rapport that has been forged between the players and staff and all the support staff is excellent. We all get on very well and we want to go the whole way and in order to do so we need to produce a top performance tomorrow night.” – Roberto Mancini.
The togetherness that the Italians have harnessed was further evident as Bonucci talked of reaching the nation’s goal and honouring one of his teammates, Leonardo Spinazzola, who has so cruelly been robbed of an appearance through injury.
“We’re going to give it everything within our power to try and make the Italian people proud of this national side. We also want to dedicate the final, if we make it that far to Leonardo because it really was a tough blow to lose him to injury. But he (Spinazzola) has shown great strength to us. Because after his surgery, he has shown that he wants us to make it all the way and we owe it to him to do that.” – Leonardo Bonucci
As one of the tournament’s standout players, the loss of Spinazzola could be significant to reaching Sunday’s final. The understanding between him and Lorenzo Insigne has been a key feature of Euro 2020. Let alone the Italians; the purists will feel a sense of injustice in not seeing the Championship’s out.
Not that the Spanish will care one iota. With all at stake, the ruthlessness of the sword is what defines all of the true gladiators. The stage is set.
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