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Ireland Defeat Exposes Italy’s Lack of Depth
Published: June 23, 2016
The Italians came into the game having already won the group. There were some who thought that may not have been the best of things. If the Azzurri had come in as runners-up, they would have ended up playing the winner of Group F—the weakest in the tournament—in the round of 16. That turned out to be Hungary, followed by a potential quarterfinal against either Wales or Northern Ireland.
Winning the group set up a date with the runner-up of Group D. After two rounds it was generally assumed that that would be Croatia—until the Vatreni turned the tournament on its ear with a last-gasp win over Spain on Tuesday. That gave them top spot in the group—and set up a marquee matchup between Italy and Spain on Monday.
With the next round's opponents set, Wednesday's match with the Irish was little more than a formality for Italy. It gave manager Antonio Conte the chance to heavily rotate his squad, giving a measure of rest to key players who had run hard for two games and a chance for less-used figures to make an impression. The reserves made an impression all right—but it wasn't the one most of them would have wanted to make.
Some of the changes were forced or semi-forced. Antonio Candreva, who has manned Conte's right wing with aplomb in this tournament, sustained a hamstring injury in Friday's match against Sweden. While his fitness is being considered day-to-day, there was no way the Lazio man would play in a meaningless game.
Similarly rested was g...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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