Less than 12 months ago, Italy were the toast of international football, after ending England’s 55-year hunt for a major trophy by winning the delayed Euro 2020 championship at Wembley.
Less than 12 months ago, Italy were the toast of international football, after ending England’s 55-year hunt for a major trophy by winning the delayed Euro 2020 championship at Wembley.
Undoubtedly the best national team on the continent and in the midst of an unbeaten run that had spanned well in excess of 30 games (it subsequently ended after 37 matches), the sky seemed to be the limit for an Azzuri side that mixed silk and steel in equal measure.
However, a stuttering World Cup qualifying campaign was followed by a shock 1-0 loss to North Macedonia in the play- off semi-final, with this result catching the best Italian football betting sites on bestbettingsites.com/italy/ completely off-guard.
But how did this scenario play out, and what’s next for a shell-shocked Italian side and manager Roberto Mancini?
Prior to Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph, Italy’s comfortable 2-0 win in Lithuania represented the team’s third victory in their first four qualifying matches. At this stage, they were widely backed by the top betting sites in Italy to win their group and qualify automatically for the 2022 World Cup, with this sentiment only furthered following the Azzurri's stunning success during the summer.
However, the campaign stalled in September, when Italy were held at home by Bulgaria and failed to break down a resolute Switzerland side during a dour 0-0 draw in Basel.
While Lithuania were subsequently vanquished 5-0 at the Città del Tricolore, the Italians’ lost their 37-game unbeaten run in October’s Nation League semi-final defeat against Spain. Then came another draw against Switzerland at home, with the match ending 1-1 after Jorginho missed a 90th minute penalty when his spot kick sailed over the bar.
Had the usually reliable Chelsea midfielder converted, Italy would have virtually booked their place in the World Cup, but the result left them tied with the Swiss with one game to play (albeit with a superior goal difference).
The miss came back to haunt Italy, however, after the Azzurri were held to a 0-0 draw by Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in their final qualifying match. Incredibly, they’d drawn four of their final five group matches, and suddenly found themselves in the play-off semi-finals.
However, the semi-final clash with North Macedonia was thought to be little more than a formality ahead of a likely final showdown against Portugal, with Italian online bookmakers making the Azzurri odds-on favourites.
The Azzurri certainly started on the front foot, quickly penning the organised underdogs in their own half and getting into their passing rhythm. Marco Verrati was particularly influential, delivering four key passes in the first half (he completed eight overall) and making six successful dribbles as he drove his teammates on.
As the game wore on, however, Italy’s players became increasingly disparate and frustrated, as their forwards continued to misfire and began to resort to hasty, long-range efforts.
Then, in second-half stoppage time, Aleksandar Trajkovski collected a loose ball in the final third and drove towards the Italian goal, before unleashing a superb drive into the bottom left-hand corner from 25 yards.
With 92 minutes on the clock, Italy had no time to respond, although there’s a sense that they could have played for another 90 minutes without scoring.
Despite recording 32 attempts on goal, for example, just five actually tested the goalkeeper, with 16 blocked and 11 missing the frame of the goal completely. Conversely, North Macedonia were much more efficient, aiming two of their four goal attempts on target while maintaining a hard-earned clean sheet. Incredibly, Italy also failed to score despite an expected goals (xG) figure of 1.82, while North Macedonia managed to exceed an xG of just 0.12 with their late and unexpected flourish.
In the aftermath, veteran centre back Giorgio Chiellini said that his teammates were “destroyed and crushed” by the result, while Verrati issued a plea for understanding as he urged reports to leave the younger players alone.
Now that the dust has settled, however, it’s more tempting to look at the game as an anomaly, with the Italian’s simply lacking composure and a little luck in front of goal. Sure, the side’s form had stuttered in the final stages of qualifying, but this may have been a hangover following their efforts and immense success during last summer.
For now, manager Roberto Mancini has kept his job too, although the former Manchester City boss is being continually linked to a Premier League return this summer.
Italy have already got back on the saddle, of course, having played Turkey in a friendly and prevailed 3-2 just five days after the play-off semi-final defeat. They’ll then take on Argentina in a mouthwatering friendly on June 1st, and this may tell us a little more about the players’ state of mind and any changes to the system or starting 11.
The good news is that a rebuild is unlikely to be required, with the Azzurri still a formidable side that showed its quality throughout the summer of 2020 and against some tough opposition.
However, further uncertainty may follow if Mancini does leave the post, with the manager likely to have a different tactical outlook and alternative preferences in terms of players.