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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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