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Italy Again Confound Critics with No-Nonsense Approach That Is Reaping Rewards
Published: June 17, 2016
The Belgians and their high-octane attack were going to look to play on the front foot, allowing holes for the Italians to play through a makeshift defensive line that was missing three players due to injury.
The Swedes, on the other hand, weren't going to press as far up. The Italians were going to have to do the one thing they are weakest at in this tournament—break down an opposing defence in possession.
Much of the controversy that arose after Italy manager Antonio Conte finalised his 23-man squad for the European Championship had to do with the lack of creativity in the side. With so many questions up front, people wondered where the goals would come from.
For 88 minutes on Friday, as Italy slogged through what looked like it would be a scoreless draw, those questions grew louder and louder until one of Conte's most controversial selections broke the deadlock and claimed a 1-0 victory for the Azzurri.
The buzz coming into the game concerned how close the Italians could come to replicating their 2-0 win over Belgium, one of the tournament favorites, in the opener. The team themselves were quick to play down expectations.
In a pre-match press conference, Conte repeatedly told reporters (h/t Football Italia) "we've done nothing."
Wing-back Antonio Candreva was similarly guarded, telling another presser (h/t Football Italia), "We are not qualified yet [for the knockout rounds], it'd be wrong to start making calculations now."
Captain Gianluigi Buffon, whose international career has spanned nearly 20 years, was quick to remind the press (h/t Football Italia) that, "Historically, we have problems in the second game [of a tournament]."
That warning ce...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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