I have to be honest, as much faith as I have in Conte, I questioned his squad selection for the Euro. I would have taken Belotti, Jorginho, Bonaventura and Totti (as a super substitute) to France, but Conte built a squad following one of his main guidelines- the group is above everything else and it’s up to the individual player to fit into it.
By not appeasing the fans and the media who were clamoring for sexy names, Conte pretty much ensured he would be taking all the blame if things went south for Italy at the Euro. But instead the performances of his team had the opposite result- Conte is finally showing to the world what most Serie A fans already knew- he’s a tactical genius who motivates his players so much that they will spit blood for him.
I imagine Conte showed Giaccherini, Pelle’, Eder and De Sciglio many of the articles that were critical about them even being on the squad. Conte loves to create motivation from negativity, he would much rather be the underdog so he can create an “us versus them” mentality with his team- all the players he was heavily criticized for selecting have paid him back with superb performances.
Conte has shown his great tactical flexibility during the Euro despite sticking to his 3 5 2 (a formation he only started using once he had Bonucci, Chiellini and Barzagli at his disposal at Juventus). Against Belgium he played on the counterattack, that win was so significant because it showed what he can do with a hard working group when playing against a team with much bigger individual stars.
While many thought Italy’s match against Sweden was a letdown compared to the other Conte tactical master classes, I took a lot out of it. Conte made Ibrahimovic disappear by man marking him with Chiellini (another player who has been getting a lot of criticism in 2016) who was helped by his teammates.
After defeating Belgium, Italy would have been fine with a draw but Conte played a “rope a dope” style by waiting until Sweden’s players tired out- in the last 15 minutes of the match Italy upped the pressure before Eder gave them the win in the final minutes.
In the match against Ireland, Italy played like a team that had nothing on the line (which was exactly the case). This was an opportunity for Conte to rest some players, which is very valuable considering the median age of the squad and the fact that Italy’s players have been running the most kilometers per match this Euro.
A fully recharged Italy was more than ready for Spain, the team that defeated them in the last Euro final. Before the match Xavi stated that the 3 5 2 was “the most complex system for an opponent that wants to press high”- those words were prophetic but what was unexpected was how Conte took the game to Spain.
I was expecting Conte to follow the blue print that worked so well against Belgium, but instead Italy played the way Juventus did under Conte. The team kept possession and attacked a lot, but just like Conte’s Juve, the Azzurri squandered numerous opportunities so much so that I was terrified Spain would score a late heart breaking goal. The game ended in almost exactly the same fashion than the Belgium one, with a Graziano Pelle’ “f you” goal in last few minutes.
No matter what happens against Germany, this Euro has been a resounding success for Italy. Many of the players that Conte was criticized for selecting rallied around their coach and their drive and ability overcame the lack of talent. In Italy many refer to Conte as “un martello” ( a hammer) and his intensity and drive has been transmitted to those on the pitch.
Now comes an even bigger challenge for Conte, avoiding the post match handshake with Low. Just kidding, playing against Germany was going to be difficult even at full strength- but with De Rossi almost certainly out and Thiago Motta suspended, Conte will have to come up with another tactical master class to win- I would not put it past him.
The day after Italy’s win against Spain, the Premier League’s official Twitter account posted a picture of Klopp, Conte, Guardiola and Mourinho under the phrase “The new season is looking like one to remember”- with that there is no doubt Conte has arrived on the International stage.
