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Italy Go Back to Basics with Graziano Pelle and Ciro Immobile to Beat Malta
Published: October 14, 2014
Let's take a tactical look at the game.
Starting XIs and Formations
Malta selected a 3-5-2, trying to get an extra man in midfield and a second striker onto the pitch while still retaining a reasonable defensive clout. Former Coventry City striker Michael Mifsud started upfront.
Italy also went with a 3-5-2, classic Conte, with Pelle making his debut upfront alongside Ciro Immobile. Marco Verratti played instead of Andrea Pirlo in the engine room.
Back to Basics
Conte should be commended for picking exactly the right type of side to beat a stubborn, careful Malta outfit. Too often we've seen top sides flummoxed by low blocks and defensive outlooks, but Conte flexed his options well and picked an optimal XI.
The inclusion of both Pelle and Immobile, in addition to the fielding of wing-backs Antonio Candreva and Manuel Pasqual (both strong crossers), meant one thing: Basic, uncomplicated football was set to follow.
True enough, inside the first three minutes, both Candreva and Pasqual were both able to steam down the flanks and fire a ball into their strikers' feet. Neither resulted in a shot on target, but the pattern was set.
Malta would clear the ball to Italy's back three, it'd be moved to a wing-back, and he would surge forward, covering plenty of ground and linking attack to defence via the ground. A cross would soon follow, and in total, the Azzurri managed a whopping 31.
The distance between the front two and the back nine was massive, but with Malta playing no wingers, Pasqual and Candreva were largely unopposed whe...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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