First, some context to Italy's first two games under new boss Gennaro Gattuso.
On Friday, after failing to break the deadlock for nearly an hour, they beat Estonia 5-0, recording an xG of 4.74 and attempting 40 shots on goal. You can never say for certain, because stats only go back a couple of decades, but if anyone can prove to me that isn't a record, I'll buy them a steak dinner.
On Monday, away to Israel, Italy conceded twice in the final three minutes of regulation before scoring in injury time to win 5-4. They also put the ball in their own net twice along the way. It was the first time ever they conceded four goals in men's World Cup qualifying, and the first time they had conceded two own goals in half a century.
"We're a bunch of crazies; we concede absurd goals!" Gattuso growled after the game.
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Anyone who watched the game -- or even just the highlights -- can't possibly argue with him. Italy were brave and positive and effective, if not always efficient, over the two matches. In Gattuso's short tenure, they have shown not just the ability, but also the willingness to attack. The inevitable question on the flip-side is whether in doing so, they've lost the ability to defend.
It's a particularly loaded question when it comes to the Azzurri because the four-time world champions, at least since the 1950s, have built their success -- and, let's face it, their brand -- on defensive solidity and tactical savvy. Think Giorgio Chiellini and Leo Bonucci at Euro 2020, Fabio Cannavaro becoming the last defender (possibly ever) to win the Ballon d'Or after lifting the 2006 World Cup, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Giuseppe Bergomi ... the list goes on and on. And that's exactly what was lacking against Israel and, to a lesser degree -- but only because the opposition sit 115 places below Italy in the FIFA rankings -- against Estonia too.
Five minutes in, keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma somehow flailed on a corner and sent the ball into his own net. After a VAR check, referee Slavko Vincic disallowed it, spotting a foul by Stav Lemkin on the Italy captain that, frankly, very few could see. Having gotten very lucky with that one, midfielder Manuel Locatelli sent a cutback into his own net with a botched clearance. In the second half, Dor Peretz scored after a nice team move, albeit with three defenders standing off him. Then came Alessandro Bastoni's sliced own goal and last, but not least, the collective brain fart -- including a wide-open far post header -- that led to Israel's fourth goal.
This isn't just nitpicking about individual mistakes. Yes, even very good players make them. It's the Azzurri making the sort of errors that even when they're not very good -- and that's happened regularly in the past decade ... I mean there's a reason they've watched the past two men's World Cups on TV -- they don't usually make. Up 4-2, in the 87th minute, they contrived to concede twice.
"We have to stay concentrated until the end -- the game isn't over until the whistle blows, I know this better than most, I was part of a team that was 3-0 up in a Champions League final and lost," Gattuso said after the game, referencing Liverpool's famous win over AC Milan in the 2004-05 final.
Fair enough. But that was the Miracle of Istanbul, and we probably won't see another in the next 1,000 Champions League finals. This was 4-2 with three minutes left against Israel.
Equally as un-Italian in that Israel game was seeing them beaten tactically. When the Azzurri come up short, it's usually because the opponents are more talented or Italy are too conservative. Rarely do they get outfoxed, but that's what happened in the first half. Israel boss Ran Ben Shimon fielded a fluid front three that befuddled the defenders, deployed a vigorous high press that the Italy midfield could not play through and exploited Gattuso's hybrid system that too often left Fede Dimarco on his own to defend the entire left flank.
There's a flip-side to all this, of course, and it's the bravery and front-footedness Italy showed over the two games. Gattuso's decision to play two proper center forwards -- Moise Kean and Mateo Retegui -- keep them close together, getting them the ball early and often, paid dividends. Wide players are encouraged to take on opponents at every opportunity; defenders are encouraged to build play and step into midfield whenever they see fit.
It's not rocket science. Compared to his predecessors, Roberto Mancini and Luciano Spalletti, Gattuso wouldn't claim to be some sort of tactical savant, deploying sophisticated systems. A hard-working, hard-tackling holding midfielder, Gattuso was the ultimate blue-collar player, and his coaching style matches this. It's possibly the reason why, at the club level, his coaching history is so checkered. Sacked after a season at Hajduk Split. Sacked after five months in Marseille. Sacked after six months at Valencia. Prior to that, he did win a Coppa Italia with Napoli but was sacked after 18 months, and he failed to qualify Milan for the Champions League during his stint in charge of the Rossoneri.
Before that? Well, his coaching mostly amounted to a stint in Crete, which became a meme and saw him swear in three different languages.
That was more than a decade ago, and you assume that version of Gattuso is no more. Or, at least, that he's learned to channel his inner rage more constructively. In two games, for better or worse, he has upended the Italian national team on the pitch, whether by accident or by design.
The Azzurri look nothing like their past, but if it's their recent past we're talking about, maybe that's not such a bad thing. They can't possibly defend collectively as poorly as they did against Israel (can they?) and, given that both Bastoni and Donnarumma are among the best in the world at what they do, maybe we can chalk their blunders down to "getting it out of your system."
It's no secret Gattuso is in the job because he was available and because he was cheap (relative to the highly paid Mancini and Spalletti before him). But he's also hugely motivated and humble. That's not nothing. If the first two games are anything to go by, this is going to be a wild ride.
