England vs Italy – a fixture that is likely to bring back sad memories for England fans thanks to the Italians besting Southgate’s Lions in the Euro 2020 final, a tournament that brought the nation great joy and hope along the way.
The circumstances differed somewhat in this UEFA Nations League tie, with Italy going through something of a rebuild following their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup despite quality players such as AC Milans Sandro Tonali featuring, and England seemingly going through a period of uncertainty as well, with some different names from both the Premier League and Serie A featuring.
Following this 0-0 draw, England have now gone three games without a win (1-0 defeat to Hungary and 1-1 against Germany) – rare poor form for the side. The poor results have been matched by poor, disjointed performances, and most of England’s issues lie in attack – defending doesn’t seem to be a major issue. This tactical analysis will look at how England approached their latest fixture against Italy and why they were unable to find the back of the net. We will also analyse the defensive tactics deployed by England, and the attacking tactics in Italys approach.
Lineups
Southgate is no stranger to switching things up when it comes to the Nations League, major tournament qualifiers, or friendlies, and set his young England side up in a 4-2-3-1 shape. Aaron Ramsdale kept Jordan Pickford away from the number 1 slot in goal. Meanwhile, the back four consisted of Reece James, Harry Maguire, Fikayo Tomori, and Kieran Trippier Tomori is a player that many England fans have wanted in the starting lineup for some time thanks to his impressive form with AC Milan. Declan Rice and James Ward-Prowse played the deeper central midfield roles with Chelsea’s Mason Mount ahead of them. Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling occupied the flanks, while Tammy Abraham led the line.
Italy have refreshed their squad of late. An absence of familiar names like Chiellini, Bonucci, and Immobile have made way for younger talent. Roberto Mancini set up in a 4-3-3 shape, with Gianluigi Donnarumma between the sticks. At the back was Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Federico Gatti, Francesco Acerbi, and Federico Dimarco. Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli played the anchor role in midfield, with Sandro Tonali and Davide Frattesi playing ahead of him. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Matteo Pessina played out wide, with Gianluca Scamacca up top.
