Italy vs Norway 1994

Arrigo Sacchi's infamous substitution of Roberto Baggio at USA 94 is still alive in Azzuri’s fans memory. It was the second game of the World Cup, against Norway, and thing was going south. Italy had already lost their opener. Through the first half, netminder Gianluca Pagliuca handled outside his area and was sent-off, leaving the manager with a decision to made. What to do? What would give the team the better chances to win. It looked as the right thing. The most logical choice: bring on the backup keeper Luca Marchegiani for a forward. But Sacchi didn’t drop  Pierluigi Casiraghi. Instead, he took the radical decision to pull off his best player. As the then English co-commentator Liam Brady told, Sacchi was "gambling his whole career". So, consoled by some of the staff members, Baggio went to the bench. Not just before to look the dugout telling the famous “this guy (Sacchi) is crazy.” It was an outstanding scene. Sacchi stood meters away from Baggio, wearing his sunglasses, impenetrabile, probably thinking about his future should Italy lose that game. Sacchi preached team compactness. He needed of a 10-men squad working as a unit. Baggio didn’t conform to this kind of thought. He didn’t help defensively. He couldn't, as he was a No. 10 battling an Achilles injury. It was an unforgettably choice. But he paid. Sacchi’s bravery worked: he won the game via a goal from the other other Baggio. Dino Baggio, he scored the winner and saved Sacchi.

The untold story of 4-2-4 inventor

As long as there was many discussions around the web about Antonio Conte’s favorite 3-5-2 system, people can’t forget that Conte’s managing career started to rise up after his conversion to a 4-2-4 formation. Although this is not a new football formation, as  Brazil side of 1970 already ran it, when you come to Serie A it remains a shape linked to Antonio Conte and Torino’s head coach Giampiero Ventura. Both tacticians have achieved success with the 4-2-4 shape. Every time the Derby della Mole was in place, there was a lot of controversy involving both coaches about who has been the father of the 4-2-4 formation. For some critics it was Conte who found inspiration in Ventura's tactics. Former Bari’s netminder Jean-Francois Gillet, who played for both coaches, often brought on memories Conte's obsession with Ventura, the man who Conte replace at Bari, and his tactics.  “My football is similar to his? Perhaps it's the other way around…," Ventura once told. Other experts give credit to Conte as the first one to implement this shape. Whatever the truth is, those tacticians shared a friendship with the man who probably deserves to be the first to introduce this shape on Italian football. This man is the highly unknown Antonio Toma. Toma, a former minor leagues standout footballer nicknamed ‘MaraToma’, is a bright tactician that just never had the opportunity to prove himself at higher level. He resurrect the 4-2-4 formation when he took the job as manager at Pisa back in 2005. Under his tutelage, Pisa quickly went to obtain positive results following a fast-tempo offense built around the movements of the four-man up front. Surprisingly, Toma  found himself out of contract and jobless at the end of that campaign. When Ventura arrived at Pisa after some time, he brought on the same idea and found solid base to travel through the same pattern. The interesting part of the story is that Conte made Toma his assistant coach during his spells at Atalanta and Bari. So, although they didn't mention former Pisa boss, both Ventura and Conte shared their philosophy with the Toma and modeled their 4-2-4 formation on Toma's philosophy.

Inside Norway

Both Italy and Norway are embarking on a new era. After the easy debut win against Netherlands, Antonio Conte’s side will face Norwegians in the Euro 2016 qualifying opener in a group also containing Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia and Malta. With the second place good to make the expanded Euro 2016, the challenge for Conte would be not the qualification but install his tactical principles into his squad. Norwegian side is very different from Egil Olsen’s Norway that thrilled the country in the ‘90s. Henning Berg, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Steffan Iversen, Erik Bakke, Stin Inge Bjornebye, and Tore Andre Flo are no more here. But from a tactical viewpoint this is a different team. Forget about Olsen’s long ball, Charles Reep-style approach. The idea to move the ball into the box with three passes is no more the rule. Olsen felt so in love with Reep’s approach that brought on it. But things changed and Hogmo modified team’s tactics. Although he inherited a less technically gifted bunch of footballers, new manager Per-Mathias Hogmo tried to stamp his mark on tactics. He was hired to build a side more comfortable in possession. So, this new generation of Norwegian players is no more relying on counterattacking but on a more proactive, dictating the play, football style. Sure, this change is still a work in progress. By the way, waiting for the explosion of teenager sensation Martin Odegaard -- the 15-year-old attacking midfielder that already made his debut in a friendly against United Arab Emirates -- Hogmo has some talent at his disposal. Håvard Nordtveit and Omar Elabdellaoui are promising defenders while Vegard Forren was a high touted centre back forced to go back to Molde after a poor stint at Southampton. There are some issues at left-back spot where Per-Egil Flo made less of an impact on the first team so far. Tom Høgli is another option on the left side. Mats Møller Dæhli is the rough diamond in the midfield: he got good skills and showed it at Cardiff last season. Norwich ‘s midfielder Alexander Tettey is a talent and one of the most underrated Norwegian footballers  Forward Tarik Elyounoussi is one of the players expected to step up soon while other forward Joshua King is a former Manchester United Academy prospect that live up to his potential due to injuries. At the end, Norway is one of those so-so rebuilding teams that Italy should be expected to beat. But they have to don’t underestimate them. Under Conte, it would be hardly the case.

Can Conte's 3-5-2 work with TeamItaly?

The questions is if… this is the main topic about Antonio Conte’s attempt to implement his 3-5-2 with the Azzurri. At international level, the last try to successfully deploy a three-man back line has put on place by Louis Van Gaal. The fact the Dutch coach opted to stick to it also with Manchester United, raised some questions.  Conte will face a similar attempt: export his 3-5-2 from the club to the National Team. Italy experimented a sort of familiarity with the system. Cesare Prandelli utilized it against Spain at Euro 2012. 

When former Juventus' manager took the job three summers ago, he was linked with the 4-2-4 formation he successfully employed with Bari and Siena during his previous stints. Interviewed about it, he candidly admitted:
“There’s been too much talk on this particular way of playing. In actuality it’s a 4-4-2. I know of course novelty makes sometimes a great topic of discussion. If instead of saying ‘4-2-4′ I had said ‘4-4-2′ from the very beginning, we wouldn’t be discussing this ‘innovation’. Maybe all it is is just a normal idea of play. It is a normal 4-4-2. I think in England most teams that are winning are applying this type of module, which enables you to cover the playing field in the best possible way I think.” But as the season went on, Conte changed his way, switching to a 4-3-3 before stuck to a classic 3-5-2, a defensively pattern utilized above all by teams with relegation fears. Switching between formations can be wrong if the players aren't suited to do it. Initially, Juventus showed the team ability to switch between 3-5-2 and 4-3-3. But Conte didn't turn to a rough 3-5-2 and his approach was active and not reactive. He employed a three-men midfield to protect the deep-lying playmaker Andrea Pirlo and to leave him free of hard defensive duties. Covering Pirlo was one of the main issues for the opponents. Using a second striker dropping on Pirlo in the defensive phase resulted on to have the striker tired soon; using a midfielder often has seen this player to be late on the coverage. In both cases Pirlo became free as the game went on. And he also goes forward to help the team in the final third of the pitch. If teams try to cover Pirlo with an attacking midfielder, Giorgio Chiellini or Leonardo Bonucci was the men able of playing out of the back and joining the midfield to start attacks for Juventus. The diamond built around the three-men back line and Pirlo is from where Juventus started his ball circulation. In Champions League, the 3-5-2 faced some troubles. Against more gifted or equal level teams, the 3-5-2 showed its weakness. Against Jupp Heynkes’ Bayern, Conte’s 3-5-2 is often forced to become a defensive-oriented 5-3-2, leaving the middle of the field in control of the Germans. So, in effect, Juventus had a flat back five with an outnumbered midfield and two isolated forwards up front. The squad played too low and, with much field to cover, counter-attacking play was unable to work. Conte showed that all the people thinking you can't win with a 3-5-2 formation was wrong. This was true at Serie  A level. If it can work at international level too, it remains to be seen.

Benvenuto Conte

Italy’s new head coach Antonio Conte led yesterday his first training session. Conte spoke clearly: his team has to be "ruthless and humble". He also said he was "not prejudiced" against new Liverpool forward, Mario Balotelli. "Balotelli? I don't have any prejudice...Who's to say that (players) who aren't here now won't come back, and vice versa," Conte told. "The man is just as important as the player," was Conte's motto soon after his appointment and former Juventus coach stayed faithful to their own principles dropping Balotelli from his first squad for the upcoming games against Netherlands and Norway. Conte would put his trademark on this side so a lot of defensive compactness and midfield speed is expected. They are the tactical principles he utilized to led Juventus to three consecutive scudettos under his regime. Conte has been given the difficult task of restoring Italy's football pride and Italians love for their National Team. One of Conte's first tasks will be to find the right players to suit his system out from a Serie A where, as the same coach pointed out, top teams usually play without "Italians on the field, or just one or two." Conte will have two years at his disposal as his contract will take him through the 2016 European Championship.

Below are the 24-men roster and Italy's schedule.

Italy’s squad:
Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), Padelli (Torino), Perin (Genoa), Sirigu (Paris Saint Germain);
Defenders: Astori (Roma), Bonucci (Juventus), Chiellini (Juventus), Paletta (Parma), Ranocchia (Inter);
Midfielders: Candreva (Lazio), Darmian (Torino), De Rossi (Roma), De Sciglio (Milan), Florenzi (Roma), Giaccherini (Sunderland), Maggio (Napoli), Marchisio (Juventus), Parolo (Lazio), Pasqual (Fiorentina), Poli (Milan), Verratti (Paris Saint Germain);
Strikers: Destro (Roma), El Shaarawy (Milan), Giovinco (Juventus), Immobile (Borussia Dortmund), Osvaldo (Inter), Zaza (Sassuolo).

Italy’s schedule:
Saturday 30th August
Conte’s call-up announcement in the evening
Sunday 31st August
00:00 CEST    Meeting at Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano
Monday 1st September
10:30 CEST    Training (open to the press– entry from 11.30)
12:15               Coach’s press conference
15:30               Training (closed to the press)
Tuesday 2nd September
10:30               Training (closed to the press)
15:00               Press conference (players)
15:30               Training (open to the press for the first 30’ minutes)
Wednesday 3rd September
10:30               Training (closed to the press)
15:30               Flight from Florence to Bari
16:50               Arrival in Bari, travel to S.Nicola’s stadium for training session (open to the press). Following training, Conte’s press conference with one player at S. Nicola stadium
Thursday 4th September
20:45               Friendly – ITALY-NETHERLANDS
Coach’s press conference/mixed zone (players) after the match
Friday 5th September
10:30               Flight from Bari to Florence
11:55               Arrival in Florence and move to Coverciano
15:00               Press update: medical situation by Prof. Castellacci
15:30               Training (closed to the press)
Saturday 6th September
10:30               Training (closed to the press)
15:00               Press conference (players)
15:30               Training (open to the press for the first 30 minutes)
Sunday 7th September
10:30               Training (open to the press – entry from 11:30)
12:30               Press conference (players)
15:30               Training (closed to the press)
Monday 8th September  
10:30               Training (closed to the press)
15:00               Flight from Florence to Oslo
18:00               Arrival in Oslo and transfer to Ullevaal stadium
19:00               Training (open to the press for the first 15 minutes)
Conte’s press conference with one player at Ullevaal stadium after training
Tuesday 9th September
20:45                     EQ match NORWAY-ITALY
meeting with press after the match
00:45                     Return to Italy