Five key points to take home from Spain vs Italy

Champions Spain were held to a 1-1 draw by Italy in Gdansk, in what was an absolutely fascinating tactical contest between the two powerhouses. Here are five key points to take home for both teams from tonight’s battle:

1. Very few teams get away without playing a central striker

In my 10 years of watching European football, I have only seen AS Roma successfully get away without playing a recognized central striker. AS Roma flourished in the 4-6-0 formation under Italian tactician Luciano Spalletti, with Francesco Totti at the head of the 6 midfielders. Going in for this extreme formation right at the start of a big tournament, against European powerhouses Italy proved to be a largely unsuccessful move. One could see the difference when Torres came on, simply by the number of clear-cut chances he missed.

2. A 3-man defence is the answer to the ‘tiki-taka’

A 3-man defence with a ball-playing defender/defensive midfielder (as seen today with AS Roma man Daniele de Rossi) as its sweeper, provides an extra man in defence who can also play the ball out of defence effectively. One could see the difficulty that Spain had in playing through the heart of the defence, with an extra man in there sweeping up. There were some panic moments in the Italian defence, but mostly it was easy going for the resolute Italians.

3. Di Natale is the evergreen man of Italian soccer

Di-Natale was absolutely crucial for the Italians

34-year old Udinese striker Antonio di Natale can easily be considered a late bloomer. Having narrowly missed out on top-scoring the Serie A this season (he won the Capocannoniere award in 2010 & 2011), he announced his arrival in Gdansk with a wonderful finish off a defence-piercing Pirlo throughball. Playing for a relatively small club like Udinese, and playing in the Europa League for most of his career instead of the Champions League (although Udinese has qualified for the UCL for two years running) hasn’t diminished his predatory instincts. The beautiful finish past a hapless Iker Casillas was proof of that.

4. The team with the superior tactics always has the edge

An international football match is as much won by the manager’s astuteness, as by the ability of the players on the field. The match-up of Spain’s 4-6-0 (later modified to a 4-3-3 with the introduction of Fernando Torres) vs Italy’s 3-5-2 was a tactical treat to watch. Spain’s usual style of neat short passes between Xavi, Iniesta and Silva perfectly complemented Italy’s willingness to play on the break, with the strength and speed of Balotelli and the guile of Cassano, who was Italy’s biggest threat until Di-Natale’s arrival.

5. Italy are the dark horses this summer

Proving that their last friendly defeat to Russia was merely an aberration, the Italians put up a disciplined performance to secure a deserved draw. With Pirlo pulling the strings in midfield, Marchisio and Motta providing the thrust from deep and the mercurial talents of Cassano, Balotelli and Di Natale up front, Italy have the required firepower to go all the way. They only need to guard against silly defensive errors.