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Roberto Mancini's Italy navigated their way past an impressive Netherlands side in their high-profile clash in the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League. The Azzurri asserted their dominance early on in the game and kept the lion's share of possession, and although the Dutch came back stronger later into the game, it was too little, too late.
After a cagey first half, Inter midfielder Nicola Barella gave Italy the crucial breakthrough with just minutes left until the half-time whistle.
A slick sequence of interplay between Lorenzo Insigne, Jorginho, and Ciro Immobile down Italy's left created the opportunity for the goal as the Lazio man delivered a perfectly-weighted cross into the box for Barella. The Italians got their thoroughly deserved lead after nearly three-quarters of an hour of creating chances.
The Netherlands, who were unscathed in their encounter with Poland in their tournament opener, were relatively toothless on the night. Italian veterans Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini marshalled Oranje's attackers expertly throughout the game and helped their side survive a late onslaught from the hosts.
Everton striker Moise Kean saw a glorious opportunity to add further gloss to a dry scoreline by scoring a late second for the visitors, but spurned the chance from close range.
Overall, it was a thoroughly professional display on the night from Mancini's men, albeit not without their share of flaws. It was a frustrating outing in Amsterdam for the Dutch, who were usurped as the group leaders by the visitors on the night.
Here, let's take a look at some of the major talking points from Italy's win against the Netherlands at the Amsterdam ArenA.
#5 Nicolo Zaniolo's injury-stricken 2020 goes on
What a terrible year Nicolo Zaniolo has had so far. The 21-year-old is widely considered to be one of the most talented young Italians to have broken onto the scene over the last few years. Ever since arriving at the club from Inter, Zaniolo has established himself not just as AS Roma's crown jewel, but that of Serie A's.
However, the wonderkid has suffered an injury-stricken 2019/20 campaign. The talented Italian attacker has had to endure a total of nearly 175 days on the sidelines due to a Cruciate Ligament Rupture in early January. This injury saw him miss a large chunk of the football season.
In what was just his third competitive fixture in 2020 and only his second start, the Italian as forced off the pitch due to an injury in the 42nd minute of the game. Zaniolo did look rusty to begin with, giving the ball away cheaply on a few occasions and lacked sharpness in the final third. However, his injury is sure to be worrying news for both Italy and, in particular, Roma, as the domestic season is just around the corner.
#4 Italy's pressing caused Netherlands all sorts of issues
The Dutchmen looked largely untroubled against a Poland side that felt the absence of Robert Lewandowski in their previous outing. However, they faced an entirely different proposition against the Italians in Amsterdam.
Mancini set his side up in a 4-3-3 and instructed them to press the Dutch high up the pitch, which ultimately made the hosts quite uncomfortable playing out from the back.
Jasper Cillessen's distribution on the night was underwhelming, and the likes of Joel Veltman and Hans Hateboer frequently found themselves in awkward situations. Nico Barella and Manuel Locatelli were both constantly deep into the Netherlands' half, leading to the hosts giving the ball away under pressure.
Marten de Roon had to drop deeper on several occasions and did more of that in the second half, when the Dutch began to play through Italy's press. However, when Italy were under the cosh, they launched several counters towards the end created chances aplenty. One particular chance where Kean had the goal at his mercy should have been put away, but the ex-Juventus man fired wide.
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#3 Italy's lack of cohesion in the final third
Lorenzo Insigne was the only survivor from Italy's front three that started the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Napoli captain played alongside Andrea Belotti and Federico Chiesa at the Artemio Franchi, but against Amsterdam, in-form Lazio man Ciro Immobile lead the line and Chiesa was replaced by Nicolo Zaniolo.
On paper, a front three of Insigne, Immobile, and Zaniolo, is arguably one of the best frontlines Mancini has at his disposal. The Lazio man and the Napoli captain are immense figures for their sides and are coming off superb seasons. However, on the night in Amsterdam, the trio failed to live up to their lofty expectations.
The Italian attack lacked a sense of cohesion, and Immobile in particular was guilty of spurning relatively good chances. Even Insigne, usually a reliable figure for the Partonopei as well as the Azzurri, was far from his creative best. The goal ultimately came from a brilliant bit of combination play from Immobile and Insigne. Still, apart from the odd moment of magic, it wasn't the most eventful outing for Mancini's attack.
#2 Nicolo Barella shines for Mancini's Italy
Barella is a player that Inter coach Antonio Conte tried to sign even during his time at Chelsea. However, after a move fell through at the time, the Premier League-winning manager finally got his man after his move to Inter. After his all-round displays on the pitch this year, it isn't difficult to see why Conte wanted his compatriot.
Barella was all over the pitch against Netherlands, winning the ball back high up the pitch and making himself a nuisance for the Dutch. The 23-year-old won three out of his seven ground duels, completed three of his six long balls, made two key passes and came up clutch with an all-important goal that proved to be the decider.
The former Cagliari man timed his late run into the box perfectly and ghosted his marker to meet Immobile's delicious cross with his head. The thumping header left the keeper no chance of saving it as Barella arrowed it into the back of the net. He even pulled off an absolutely sublime backheel flick to set up Insigne, who tested the Dutch keeper with a curling effort from the edge of the area. All in all, it was a night to remember for the Inter midfield lynchpin.
#1 Memphis Depay fails the Giorgio Chiellini test
A lot has been made of Memphis Depay's recent form. The Dutchman has been in great touch despite an injury-stricken 2019/20 campaign. He was pivotal for Olympique Lyon's fairytale UEFA Champions League semi-final run and ended as the club's top-scorer in the completion. Overall, Depay scored 15 goals in just 21 games for the club last campaign, and has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona in recent weeks.
However, on the night against Italy, he was faced by one of the most experienced pair of central defenders of this generation in Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini. The latter has also suffered from his fair share of injuries off late, but against Netherlands, representing Italy for the 104th time in his career, he was nothing short of a colossus at the back.
The Juventus veteran essentially shackled an in-form Lyon captain, who was one of the best players on the pitch in their last outing. Depay cut a frustrated figure as he was isolated for large parts of the game against Italy.
Chiellini was the chief orchestrator of the Azzurri's defence and made a whopping eight clearances and four interceptions, which were the highest of any Italian player. Depay, on the other hand, failed to register a single shot on target despite leading the line as the centre-forward, albeit one who dropped deep to link play.
Despite all that's been said about Depay's superb form that's earned him the chance of moving to the Nou Camp, he came up short against one of the masters of old-school defending in Chiellini. The Italian was a titan for Mancini's men.
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