Italy 0-1 Uruguay - Tactical Analysis

Here is a look at all the action from last evening’s controversy marred encounter which ultimately saw Uruguay book their place in the Round of 16

For all that was at stake, it was only a bite that dominated the post match talk as Uruguay sniffed past Italy to book their spot in the Last 16. The game was more a story of two halves as a boring first half was complimented by an intensely dramatic second half in which Diego Godin’s crucial header proved to be the death-knell for Cesar Prandelli’s men for this edition of the World Cup

A 3-5-2 against a 3-5-2

Both Prandelli and Oscar Tabarez decided to opt for the 3-5-2 in favour of the 4 man defense that they had resorted to for the first couple of games. Alvaro Gonzalez moved to the left and Martin Caceres was shifted to central defense with Arevalo holding midfield and Lodeiro and Cristian Rodriguez playing as conventional midfielders. Suarez and Cavani continued their partnership up-front with Cavani dropping deep into midfield when not in possession. On the other hand Italy reverted to the 3-5-2 of old with the Juventus trio of Bonucci, Barzagli and Chiellini starting in tandem in central defense alongside Darmian and De Ai??Sciglio who started on the right and left respectively. In the absence of Daniele De Rossi, Claudio Marchisio started alongside Andrea Pirlo and Marco Verratti with Mario Balotelli and Ciro Immobile upfront.

The greatest vice of a 3-5-2 coming up against 3-5-2 is the lack of space to exploit as both the sides have an extra man at the back and the wingbacks are usually in a tussle with their opposition numbers. This leaves the wings devoid of any real attacking outlet and as a result the game becomes a little to overcooked in the middle and this is exactly what happened in the first half as both teams were content with a risk free approach to the contest. Passing from both sides was sloppy and lackluster at times and there were no clear cut chances for either set of forwards. A drab first half, good enough for the Italians not so much for the Uruguyans.

Cavani does the stop job on Pirlo

Pirlo' heat-map on the left, Cavani's on the right — Pirlo’ heat-map on the left, Cavani’s on the right

Against England, Steven Gerrard was the subject of meticulous attention from Edinson Cavani hence disrupting England’s rhythm. Gerrard’s inability to find spaces to operate from deeper areas meant that the Three Lion’s attackers had to drop deeper to receive possession which hence resulted in a largely ineffectual attacking display. In this case, Pirlo being Italy’s go to man made life all the more difficult as the Azzuri could not put together a decent surge at the opposition goal for the entirety of the 90 minutes. The PSG forward was no less than Pirlo’s shadow – every time he got the ball, Cavani was onto him in a jiffy, closing down spaces and limiting channels to exploit.

Cavani's action zones. Notice how he spends the majority of his time in central midfield and the concentration of dots around the center which signify his work on Pirlo — Cavani’s action zones. Notice how he spends the majority of his time in central midfield and the concentration of dots around the center which signify his work on Pirlo

With Marco Verratti forced to drop deeper to help his partner, there was a void created between the midfield and the front two, spaces that Marchisio failed to exploit. What made it even worse was that neither Balotelli or Immobile are particularly good at exploiting spaces left behind them i.e alternating movements between midfield and attack to render fluidity and balance to the attack as a consequence of which Prandelli’s men found it difficult to push the ball forward.

Verratti's heat-map. Notice the rare occasions on which he moved forward. — Verratti’s heat-map. Notice the rare occasions on which he moved forward.

An intense and dramatic second half

The second 45 of the crunch tie was no less than an exhibition of controversy on both sides – Italy went a man down as Claudio Marchisio was given his marching orders 15 minutes into the half. With pressure of conceding the goal seemingly mounting on Prandelli and his team, Mario Balotelli was taken off for Marco Parolo as the Azzuri decided to shut up shop and retain parity. Oscar Tabarez reacted swiftly and replaced Alvaro Perriera with Ai??Christian Stuani, reverting back to the 4-3-3 in the process. The move didn’t exactly go according to plan as they still failed to get in behind the Italian defense – the build-up was slow and sluggish primarily because of the absence of a proper wide midfielder who could stretch the Azzuri defense by making the pitch wide. The all action style of Uruguay’s midfield meant that the forwards got little to play with especially because of the numbers Italy had in midfield.

Prandelli’s final throw of the dice raised some eyebrows as he replaced Immobile with Cassano – there is no doubting Fantantonio’s ability on the ball but when a team’s down to ten men, Cassano isn’t really the ideal choice to lead the team’s attack given his lack of athleticism. A drab encounter was finally decided by a rather fortunate header as Diego Godin put his side in front in the dying embers of the game. Italy threw everything at Uruguay after conceding but to no avail. It simply wasn’t to be.

After the disappointment of 2010, Prandelli was appointed with a view to steady the ship and stabilize the sharply declining Azzuri. Finishing as runners up only to Spain in the Euros Ai??provided a spark of hope and belief about the team’s performance in Brazil. However after a steady start, both Prandelli and his players have gone down hill, the price of which has been paid in the heaviest of ways. Though the bite may be discussed for long, there will no debating the fact the Italy looked toothless and bereft of ideas for a major part of the game and indeed their cup campaign. It remains intriguing to see whether the FIGC accept their manager’s resignation and if so, who could be the chosen one to take this Azzuri forward.