Italy's progress to the knockout phase of the 2018 World Cup has caught many obstacles. They may even lose the ticket for Russia after a flop in Sweden. (The tense second leg will kick off at San Siro on Monday at 19:45 GMT)
In fact, statistics show that Italy had kept a clean sheet in 5 games during the group stage, but when facing the teams like Spain and now Sweden, their attacking line could do little. And it's known to us all that Italian fooball is famous for their defence. There is even an Italian term called Catenaccio which implies a highly organised and effective backline defence focused on nullifying opponents' attacks and preventing goal-scoring opportunities, while the attack of Azzurri seems to have less gloss.
What are the reasons? Why is Italy's defence always considered better than their attack?
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Experts of last DAILY TOPIC: Will Argentina become a better team if they rely less on Messi?
@Rutkos_2: There are 2 aspects to consider here:
➡️SHORT TERM
NO. This is because we've seen their performance without Messi. They play football which is not enough to make them qualify for World Cup. In qualifiers, when without Leo, they did not seem like Argentina. So, making Messi the central point and playing around him is best for now.
➡️ LONG TERM
YES and they have to. Messi is 30 now and whatever he may have done he's still a human. This will be the last World Cup when he would be in his prime. La Albiceleste would need to find an ideal replacement for him and hence would have to gradually shift to a more team oriented tactics.
So, Messi is the one on whom Argentina can rely for the World Cup. But, after that tactics should be altered and they must become less reliant on the Legend.
#ForcaMessi
#ThinkaboutFuture
@raheem_CFC: I don't think Argentina will become a better team if they rely on Messi too much. I see instances where players on the park can pick a better pass or even make a drive forward and score but instead the first thing they do is look for Messi. I think this mentally hampers the confidence of the players because they don't believe in themselves to do something special without involving Messi... yes he's the one of the best but sometimes he's not the one to receive the ball or anything of that sort. if one day Messi do not then up then the team will fail because they are depending on him to do everything instead of trying for themselves. I believe if all these Argentina players work together they can be very difficult to defeat. players like Messi, dybala, higuain, icardi, aguero, di Maria, and others is a pretty talented team who can defeat any team. but because they rely on Messi their own light fail to shine. Messi gets an injury or retire the whole team falter and fail. so my answer is Argentina won't be a better team if they soly rely on Messi
Ajmal7
78
Italy is a country which known for their defensive formation and tactical system. There are many defenders from Italy well known for their defense. Bonucci ,Nesta , Maldini , Chilleni , Cannavaro etc and thier defense makes them into attack . There are many defensive minded coaches from this country . There are great footballing country . Ancelotti once said that defensive football historically had given Italian football great joy and he made no apologies for making his defence the cornerstone of his teams' tactics.
m_kathar8753
39
Italy, when look properly we find the defensive players are more experienced and old as compared to others team. We all know Italy is known for defensive rather than offensive as it goes their ideology for football since time memorial. And we could see many players got their name in defense and of course some midfield i.e defensive tactics. Recalled the like of Barzagli, Bunnocci and Chelieni are known for defends however their are some forward but not upto expectations. But Italy is losing its style of playing as more others nations are offensive in their style as the like of Brazil or say Germany. They attack as much as they can and now the generation of football has come to such extend where offensive is prefer as its gives more good to the result.
Rutkos_2
26
Every team has their strengths. For example, Argentina have a strong Attack, Spain have Attack with Possession as their advantage and Germany are an exception. Now, the reasons for Italy being defensive: ➡️ HISTORY Italy has a history of producing great defenders like Nesta, Cannavaro, Chiellini,etc. So, the national team has rightly adopted defensive tactics. And the same can't be said for their Attack. ➡️ SUCCESS WITH DEFENCE Adopting Defensive tactics historically has yielded them 4 titles. So, focus on recruiting quality Attackers is not there. PRESENT SCENARIO: Yes, they have a weak Attack but it was never strong. Don't get me wrong, Piero, Totti were good but not the best in their time. Italy are on the brink of missing the World Cup but it's just one match and they remain favourites to qualify. So, in short Defence being better than Attack is down to history and success over the time with mediocre attack. And a personal opinion, they can be very successful if they somehow get Mourinho. #ItalianAttack #DefencebetterthanAttack
Zawiprt
24
I think it's the academies. The academies in Italy train players to be aware defensively and cautious offensively, copying the way they have won the World Cup. Just as Brazilians are trained to attack with a lot of flair, how they have won the World Cup, Italian players are trained to be aware defensively. The Italian coaches want to copy how they succeeded in 2006. Their outside backs are taught to be conservative on the attack, unlike Brazilian outside backs, who play more like wing-backs. Also, many Italian players are genetically not very fast (Lorenzo Insigne is an exception). That helps prevent flying wingers who contribute offensively, but not defensively, like Brazil has and helps prevent Italy from having a great offensive player like Messi or Ronaldo(with exceptions). That makes Italy focus more on defense, than offense. Defense is more important than offense in Italy.
realEddy
23
well,the quality of Italy's defence was never borne out of mistake. Italy since the beginning of time itself, have always had a defensive mindset towards their tactical or strategic formations.and over time the best players among them have turned out to be defenders.Italy's defence has been been labelled as the "better"portion of their game than its attack because of two probable reasons: The Catenaccio tactical system and an incredible knack for defensive football. The Catenaccio,also known as a Chain-like system, is a tactical system in football with a strong emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", which suggests a highly organised and effective backline defence focused on rendering the opponents' attacks futile and preventing goal-scoring opportunities. Catenaccio is not regularly used by Italian Serie A teams at the moment,who instead currently prefer to apply balanced tactics and formations, mostly using the 5–3–2 or 3–5–2 system.The then Italian national football team with manager Cesare Prandelli also used the 3–5–2 in their first clashes of UEFA Euro 2012 Group C and then switched to their 'standard' 4–4–2 diamond formation for the UEFA Euro 2012 final. Italy's previous coaches, Maldini and Giovanni Trapattoni, used elements of catenaccio at international level,and both failed to reach the top. Italy, under Maldini, lost on penalties at the 1998 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, while Trapattoni lost early in the second round at 2002 FIFA World Cup and lost at the UEFA Euro 2004 during the first round. Despite the list of its failed applications,the Catenaccio also has given birth to some level of success. Trapattoni himself successfully employed it in securing a Portuguese Liga title with Benfica in 2005. then german coach Otto too,also used a similarly defensive tactic for his Greece side in UEFA Euro 2004, Dino Zoff also put Catenaccio to good use for Italy, securing a place in the UEFA Euro 2000 final, which Italy only lost on the golden goal rule to France. Likewise, italian great Vicini led Italy to the 1990 FIFA World Cup semifinal thanks to small wins in six hard-fought defensive games in which Italy produced a total of only 7 goals for and none against. Although pure catenaccio does not have its place in Italian football like the days of old, the associaton of totally look-alike copies of ruthless defensive tactics with the Serie A and the Italian national team continues to be spread by the ever busy foreign media, particularly with the extremely dominant Italian defences of A.C. Milan of the 1990s and Juventus F.C. from the 2010s onwards being in the limelight. As for the incredible Knack for defensive football, The Azzurri have the tactical know-how and the right mentality for defensive football in major events and this has worked for them many times. The Italians are masters at this game and have been doing it for decades, sometimes going way overboard with their approach, but generally just keeping it tight at the back, inviting the opposition to attack and catching them with quick counter-attacks. The modern Azzurri, regardless of who is coach, can defend as a unit very effectively and intelligently,without necessarily looking ridiculous by maybe, putting 10 men behind the ball. Italy see defending as an art and the key to success. Any defender from a young age would be as happy as keeping a striker quiet as would someone who has scored a hat-trick. It's the cornerstone of Italy's football culture, that high-profile coaches,the likes of which Claudio Ranieri, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Mancini and Fabio Capello have exported to the world over the last decade. Ancelotti had once said that defensive football historically had given Italian football great joy and that he had no apologies for making his defence the cornerstone of his teams' tactics.It is with these two major reasons that Italy's defense,can always considered far better than its attack.
NiiArmah25
21
This question deals with philosophy, the Brazilians prefer beautiful and exciting football hence there is a premium on style thus placing emphasis on the attackers. On the other hand, Italy as a country is renowned for their astuteness with the art of defending, no wonder they have produced class names in that department....due to their approach and method of Catenaccio (i.e. soaking pressure and hitting on the counter) the focus is on structure and resoluteness with high levels of concentration and discipline thus defenders will be a premium ahead of the attackers in this system
AslamZain
20
'Italy have the world's best defence' The main point to remember when discussing the three man defence is that a team does not actually defend with three players! #Barzagli, #Bonucci, #chiellini....[Italy] It's difficult, but we're Italy and we don't fear anyone... We have to go to the World Cup."
Ceoadeosty
20
I think the idiology of coaches in Italy since time immemorial has generated this heat of very solid defenders more better off than their attack. Italian doesn't want a defeat .it's important for them to win with a slim margin .they rely mostly on a counter break and more on set pieces.italian do have good free kick takers. take about Pirlo and the rest. Italian are not offensive minded team so they rather give more attention in their defends rather than attack. .
saleen_skp
18
looking at the history we see that ,there was a time when total football ruled the world.other nations tried to stop this total football with whatever they have but without a good tactics.then it was Italy who made catenaccio, where it is full of defense. but it was a failure. but the Italians from that time itself started to modify catenaccio into a better style of defense which can be used for attack also but keeping their defense strong. they tried to bring up great defenders rather than from strikers l. and the Italians are still doing the same to bring up great defenders and let the strikers free.but sure they had a lot of amazing strikers too.but defense is still what they believe is their strength so from time to time they have great defense naturally
R3d_D3vil
14
Italy are usually well-built and experienced in defence compared to attack..They are known for their physical attributes and defensive skills...For example,Bonnuci,Barzagli and Chiellini.They are the most experienced due to their age and has been a brick wall as opponents find it difficult to get through..As for the attack,they are physically weaker..For example,Insigne..He is not well-built and could be easily pushed away by others..One important thing to take note..Italians usually take shots from outside the box instead of pass and play before scoring a goal..Hence,their defence is always better than the attack
AmanR007
10
present coz they have the got the best former juve back 4 buffon chellini bonucci barzagli and not having a central striker which is consistent at international....level... though got strikers like immobile scoring 14 goals in club... but ineffective at international level..... long term they have always got the best back defense maldini etc and havent got killer instincts at forward mainly though being in midfield pirlo creating some difference for them last decade but sinve earlier they have their tradition to play.. strikers are ruthless for the club but they became blunt when it came to INTERNATIONAL DUTY........
A_Maleek
8
being tough and rough seems to be an Italian trade in football thus they tend to produce better defenders than attackers although at times they can produce players with brilliant technique like the likes of dicanio, zola and pirlo