Despite lifting the World Cup trophy four times, Italy have only lifted the European Championships trophy once. The one time that happened was in 1968 when Italy were also the host. Back then as our grandparents may remember, the format of the European Championships was a bit different.
Fast-forward 48 years, and today the European Championships is the second most attractive and important tournament in the world. Football is so huge today that even online casinos try to make money out of it by introducing football-themed casino games. The best football slot can be found at Microgaming casinos and it is called Football Star, so here is a list of the best Microgaming casinos for 2016.
Anyway, only four nations participated when Italy were the European champions: England, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Italy. They played semi-finals where Italy defeated the Soviet Union with a coin toss after the match ended 0-0, while in the final Italy had to play two games against Yugoslavia in order to defeat them. The first one finished 1-1 at Stadio Olimpico, while the second finished 2-0 for Italy at the same stadium 2 days later.
Compared to then it’s now a lot more difficult to become the European champion. You have to play in the qualifications, then pass the group stage at the Euros, the elimination rounds and then the final. But, can Italy do it finally?
There is no doubt that Italy is one of the best football nations, but despite that Antonio Conte and his men will have difficulty reaching the final and lifting the trophy. It’s been ten years since Italy last lifted a major trophy (2006 World Cup), so this would be a nice chance for a successful anniversary.
Italy qualified for the Euro 2016 with a game to spare, but despite that a final victory was needed over Norway so that the top spot could be secured. If not, Hungary would have been the last obstacle in the play-off, which shows that not everything is sure as it might seem. Italy are strong, but are they strong enough on a psychological level?
Everyone agreed that throughout the entire qualifying campaign Italy didn’t show much confidence in their play. If Conte’s men perform at their very best, nothing can stop them. Italy have some phenomenal talent that can perform more than reasonably. But, the serious lack in confidence will be the main barrier that will need to be surpassed. Conte coule be blamed here because he hesitated too long in the process of bringing talented players in the team.
He was constantly altering the formation, which is his biggest issue. He seems to be leaning towards a four-man defence, and what he should really do is build the team around Barzagli, Bonucci, and Chiellini. Just take a look at Juventus’ statistics and how many times they have lost with the trio and you will know what I am talking about. On top of that, Insigne, who hasn’t been starting much for Italy, should receive a bigger exposure by being included in the first team. After all, he had a phenomenal season for Napoli.
The main concern is whether Conte has succeeded in smoothing out the issues in Italy’s play. Will the team gel and compete strongly? Have they improved the core of their play and will they stick to a system? No doubt, we will receive that answer this summer in France. If Conte can get his tactics right, there is no telling what Italy could do. A semi-final game is almost guaranteed to say the least.
