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Extended Clip - Euro 2023: Previewing Italy at Under-21 European Championship
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Ahead of the upcoming UEFA U21 European Championships, Nima Tavallaey Roodsari and Carlo Garganese analyze the Italy squad as well as discuss the Azzurrini's chances in the tournament.
This is an extended clip from this weeks free Monday episode of The Italian Football Podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google podcasts.
To listen to ALL complete episodes of The Italian Football Podcast, go to Patreon.com/TIFP and become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
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Transcript
Overview of Euro 2023 Under 21 Championship
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. We're talking about moving on, talking about the future. It is this week, the beginning of the Euro 2023, the under 21 European Championship, which is taking place in Romania and Georgia. And Italy have been drawn in group D,
Italy's Group D Challenges
00:00:30
Speaker
They have France in their group, which is going to be incredibly difficult. They're a fantastic team. But they've got Norway and Switzerland also in their group. So Italy will be fancying their chances of getting through the groups. If they do that, they will then play a team from the group containing Romania, Spain, Ukraine, and Croatia. And then in the semifinals, they will probably meet France
Italy's Squad Breakdown
00:00:54
Speaker
again. So they're a little bit unlucky that they will have to play France twice.
00:00:58
Speaker
I'll read out the squad and then we can discuss what we think going into this tournament. The goalkeepers are Caprile from Bari, Kanasecki, Cremonese, Turati from Frosinone, Defenders, Belenova, Inter, Cambiaso, Juventus online at Bologna, Chitadini from Modena, Lovato from Selenitana, Okoli from Atalanta, Parisi from Empoli, Pirola from Selenitana, Skalvini from Atalanta,
00:01:26
Speaker
Iannoma Udoji, Iannoma Udoji, Houdenheze, Bove Roma, Salvatore Esposito from Spezia, Mirete Uwe, Ricci Torino, Ravella Monza, Tonali Milan, and in the forwards, Cambiagi, Empoli Canceliari from Lazio, Colombo, Milan on loan at Lecce this past season, Nianto, Leeds and Pellegri.
00:01:52
Speaker
Torino. So what's your overall view of that squad?
Formation and Key Players
00:01:56
Speaker
I love that squad. I really, really like it. I mean, Karanaseki for me is the number one. Turati's had a great season and so is Caprille as well. So great goalkeepers. The defence I really like, especially Pari. For me, this is genuinely difficult. Do you play with a Mach 3?
00:02:20
Speaker
which I think I would do, or do you play with the back four, which would also work, because you're really spoilt for riches. I think Cambiaso is great. He has a great season, Parisi for sure. Scalvini or Dodgy, we know how good they are. Ocoli, I'm a big fan of. Lovato, Bella. No, I love this team. The fence is stacked. How the hell you have to leave out one of Parisian or Dodgy, it just feels wrong. It just feels really wrong. One of those is not going to start.
00:02:49
Speaker
Sorry, I was going to say, to answer your question, it seems like they're going to play a 3-5-2. Well, they should, because... That's what the coach, whose name is now... Nicole, what's his name? There's no escape for me. Nicole Ato, yeah, sorry. So, Paolo Nicole Ato, so that's what he's intimated at, that it's going to be a 3-5-2. Yeah, and that's fantastic, because I get the midfield three that I want, because then you can play Bela Nova or Cambiazzo on the right.
00:03:19
Speaker
You can play Ocoli, Scalvini, or Lovato in the middle, and then either Parisi or Udoji on the wing back. And then in midfield, OK, Ricci, Ravella, Tonali has to start, and he will.
Midfield Strength Analysis
00:03:34
Speaker
I think, you know, then you can choose one from Bovez, Positomiretti, Ricci, Ravella next to him.
00:03:39
Speaker
It will be one of Ravello or Esposito that will start because they will be the deep lion player. I think Ricci might actually, I mean I would have liked that. Ricci can play as Metzala too, don't know? Yeah, but I'd like to see him as well, but we'll see. And then Miretti has done really well and Bova is a player I'm really excited about.
00:03:56
Speaker
So the midfield trio is... No, it's not the quality. That midfield is going to be up there with the best midfields in the tournament. No doubt about it. Maybe the best. And then up front, 3-5-2, for me, it's Colombo-Nianto. Like, that's what I would start. Lorenzo Colombo will start, and then I'd start Nianto next time. Yeah. But yeah, 3-5-2. I mean, Colombo, I think this is going to be finally the tournament that opens people's eyes to Colombo.
00:04:22
Speaker
I really rate this player and I think he's shown such maturity and calm and cool. He's got a good head on his shoulders as well and I think this is going to be the tournament where he wants to prove himself.
00:04:35
Speaker
Yeah, I think that Italy have a strong squad. I think they're definitely contenders. They definitely, I mean, they've got an excellent goalkeeper at this level, Kanasecki. They've got lots of quality and depth in defence, certainly in the wide areas and in the winged back areas. And the midfield, as we've said, lots of quality at this level, probably, I mean, I think probably the best midfield in the tournament.
00:05:02
Speaker
The issue for me is goals in
Attacking Concerns for Italy
00:05:04
Speaker
attack. I'm not saying there's not quality in attack. I mean, Niento, we know, is a fantastic talent. You know, I'm not saying, you know, Kambiagi's had a really strong end to the season with M.Poli all beating a different system. Okay, Cansevieri hasn't played much. Pellegri, I mean, he's been injured for years.
00:05:23
Speaker
Colombo, you know I'm a fan of him, but he's had a bad 2023 calendar year. So my question is, is there enough goals in this team? I think goals will come. That's the issue. I think the goals will come. I think the goals will come from
00:05:40
Speaker
from the midfield and Colombo. I'm not worried about that at all. I think Tonali is going to be someone they count on a lot on set pieces and to shoot because he's got a good shot on him actually.
00:05:56
Speaker
But no, I'm not worried. I'm not worried. I think there is goals in this team. I think Colombo is going to be incredibly important because he's a big lad. He's strong in the air and he's got a good head on his shoulder. This is his tournament to shine. You know how much I've been a fan of his. But I think this is his tournament.
Coaching and Performance Issues
00:06:17
Speaker
This is his time to shine. And I think someone like Bolve from midfield making runs in deep is also someone who's going to have a great tournament.
00:06:26
Speaker
At least that's why I hope. Yeah, it's hard to know who they pick. But my problem is this. I'm tired of the Italy under 21 having dream team after dream team year after year and having a manager that's just not good enough. Well, that brings me on. That was my other question. I've got two question marks about this squad. One is, do we have enough goals in the attack? And number two is the coach. I have to be honest. He's a
00:06:49
Speaker
This is like DiBiaggio, like I'm hoping it's not because I really think this is a quality side, but I have big questions over the under 21 selection coaching staff. And I have it and it's not just now, it's been continuous for years now. And I hope I'm wrong.
00:07:08
Speaker
I really do because I think DiBiaggio is one of the worst coaches I have ever seen at any level. But I hope that Nicolato is not that and that he can actually show maturity and tactical maturity that we've, that we're, you know, because we're not very, you know, he's not very well known. But we'll see.
00:07:30
Speaker
No, absolutely. Nicolato is a question mark. I'm not 100% sure on a 3-5-2, but I do recognise it is the most suitable for the players that we've got. We don't have maybe the
00:07:47
Speaker
enough quality and attack to justify playing three up front, in my opinion. So I can, for that reason, I think playing two maybe is the way to go. But yeah, I am, I'm not sure on Nicolata, I'm not, you know, he's, he's come, appears to me to be, yeah, a little bit
00:08:05
Speaker
a little bit dated in some of his football. But we'll see. We'll see. We hope the players can do it. I mean, this is a tournament that Italy absolutely dominated when I was a kid growing up. They won. I remember in the 90s, they won three, three of these euros, and then they won two in the early 2000s. They see between 1992 and 2004, they won five of seven tournaments, which is insane. Absolutely insane. But since winning in 2004,
00:08:35
Speaker
in Euro 2004, they've played in one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine Euros, and they've not been, knocked out in the group stage four of those nine times. They didn't qualify for another of those, that's five, where they haven't got past the group stage, and then they've got to a quarter final, two semi-finals, and then one runners up, which was 10 years ago.
Coach Nicolato's Tactical Insights
00:08:58
Speaker
I mean, I'm reading an interview with Nicolato now that I thought was really interesting. I mean, he says, there's a big debate on tactical systems, but I maintain it's not a system that makes you win or lose games. Anyone who thinks like that is 30 years out of date. I don't believe there is a defensive and an attacking tactical system. It's just shapes that are more or less suited to the players. In 10 qualifying games for the Euros, we played seven with a 4-3-3 formation, one with a 4-2-3-1, two with a 3-5-2.
00:09:23
Speaker
and in the friendlies we went with a 3-5-2. A coach must be able to use many different systems, then consider the players at his disposal and the strategy. Football has evolved, it's more about putting players in a position that will allow them to express their talent.
00:09:38
Speaker
We started playing 3-5-2 at the under 21 squad because we didn't have any wingers available, and all our defenders at club level play with 3 at the back. It wasn't my own individual choice, I've been coaching for 35 years and 30 of those have been with 4 at the back, but if needed, I can and must adapt.
00:09:56
Speaker
I like that. I agree with the words, but it's easy to say words, and then you have to just watch how he plays, watch how he seems to play. And about Nionto, I really like it. He says, look, I see Nionto as more of a striker, including a centre forward. He's played as a winger at club level and for Italy, but it doesn't seem like a classic winger to me. If anything, part of two up front or a centre forward in the 4-3-3, because he attacks the space and has that sprint in the final third.
00:10:23
Speaker
Yeah that was the interview that I read where it basically admitted he's going to play a 3-5-2 and I think that's for certain he's only picked five forwards I believe so you don't you don't pick five forwards if you're going to play three up front.
00:10:39
Speaker
And I agree with him on Youngto not being a winger and being more of a striker. I actually agree with him on that. I think he has the attributes to play both. I think he has the attributes to play both because he did play before he moved to Leeds for... Who was it that he played for? Zevi. Sorry, Zurik, yeah, sorry.
00:11:00
Speaker
Yeah, when he played for Zurich, he played in a front two. He played in a front two for Zurich. I don't know where he played for in the inter-use system, but for Zurich, he played in a front two. And then for Leeds, he's played as a what winger for Leeds and looked fantastic once he made the break through there. So, I mean, I think he has the attributes to playing both roles, which is good, which is what you want. That's what we want from modern players.
France as a Tournament Contender
00:11:25
Speaker
Yeah, the only thing I would say is there's one team I do fear in this tournament, and in terms of quality of their play, and their form hasn't been that great, and that's France. France have an incredible quality in their squad. France, of all, in the recent years, them and Germany, they produce some incredible talent in the youth level. Oh, well, you look through their squad. I mean, Taram, who is the best Taram of the best of the Taram brothers. Really? You're not a fan of Marcus?
00:11:55
Speaker
Well, I'm a fan of him, but there's I think there's Keprin Turan definitely has the highest ceiling of the lot. I mean, did you see him in the season? I mean, wow, this guy is he's he's everywhere. I mean, Conay, I think is great. Or at least he's done really well at Crystal Palace. This wahi has been linked to to a lot of big European clubs, including Juventus.
00:12:18
Speaker
Calimuendo, Cherki, Gueri and Mancini was trying to steal Cherki for the Italy national team and so I mean they've got they've got so much quality so I do feel like France are the biggest contenders so it will be a good gorge to see how they get on because that's who Italy start their tournament on Thursday against France.
00:12:39
Speaker
Yeah. And speaking of Italian coaches, Antonio DiSalvo at Germany in this tournament as well. It's going to be interesting to see how he does. That's right. That is right, yeah.