Amidst the clamour to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi and the fervour surrounding the superstar in town, it seemed to many inside Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium that a game of football was an afterthought.
After taking a knock in training, Messi was rested for Argentina’s glamour friendly against Italy on Friday, but the greater concern ought to have been the performance of the Azzurri, as they limped to a 2-0 defeat.
A chorus of boos rang out at the final whistle as Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli opted not to introduce his star attraction for a cameo appearance, but this could just as easily have been aimed at Italy upon reflection of a performance that lacked bite and creativity, particularly in the first half.
Having been stung so painfully at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in November, when a failure to beat a hard-working Sweden side meant the players would be watching this summer’s World Cup from their sofas, Friday’s match offered the opportunity for the start of a new dawn for Italy.
If this was the new dawn so desperately craved, then it promises to be a long day ahead. The Azzurri were second-best to an Argentina lacking their talisman and there for the taking.
Whilst new interim coach Luigi Di Biagio has been drafted in and a handful of new faces have been called up, La Nazionale’s naïve approach as Argentina picked them off with two goals from quick interchanges suggested little had changed.
Defensively, Italy looked sound and there is certainly cause for optimism in this regard. In what could be his final international appearance, Gianluigi Buffon kept his side in the match in the first half with a number of crucial saves, and was Italy’s best player.
When the veteran does hang up his gloves, the lengthy queue of talented young keepers, in the mould of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Mattia Perin and Alex Meret mean Italy are in safe hands.
The combination of Leonardo Bonucci and Daniele Rugani worked well and the latter showed his maturity against Juventus clubmate Gonzalo Higuain.
Meanwhile, Mattia De Sciglio continues to improve and handled the occasion well at left-back, whilst Alessandro Florenzi offered an attacking threat, although did suffer at the hands of Angel Di Maria at times.
It is only once one looks further up the pitch that the issues begin to present themselves. The Azzurri lacked an authoritative figure in the centre of the park, who could take control of the match and nullify Argentine pairing Leandro Paredes and Lucas Biglia.
At best, they could count on Marco Verratti driving forward on occasion in the first half, but even this soon dried up. Indeed, the man who Italy have looked to build around spent most of his evening penned in between his own centre-backs, having to drop so deep to collect the ball.
Meanwhile, a blunt attack struggled to make inroads against an average Argentine defence, and rarely did Italy look like snatching a goal.
The four-time world champions have much work on their plate if they can entertain hopes of adding a fifth star to their emblem, but now is the perfect opportunity to rebuild.
Preparation for Euro 2020 ought to have begun in this set of international fixtures, and it is time to blood in the exciting crop of stars bursting through in Serie A, given what appears to be a lack of experienced options.
This will not be an overnight fix, but there is enough potential to develop of squad that mixes youthful exuberance and experienced heads into a winning unit. By laying the groundwork now and making the changes for tomorrow, the Azzurri can look forward to future competitions with optimism.
A midfield led by Verratti showed glimpses of promise with the introduction of energetic Roma man Lorenzo Pellegrini in the second half.
The 21-year-old slotted into the international scene with ease and provided greater security and creativity than Marco Parolo. The latter offered little to an already unbalanced midfield and was overshadowed by his younger compatriot.
Throw in fellow substitute Bryan Cristante and there are the makings of vibrant and creative midfield trio. The Atalanta man replaced Jorginho in the second period, after his own poor performance raised further questions about how he fits into this Italy side.
Lorenzo Insigne offered some form of trickery at times, but after squandering a glorious opportunity, demonstrated that whilst he is imperious for Napoli, turning the shade of blue on his shirt that bit darker leaves something missing.
Meanwhile, striker Ciro Immobile once again showed that he is not the right fit for this Italy side. Lethal for Lazio, the former Torino man is perfectly suited to the Biancocelesti’s direct game, but this is not how the Azzurri are set up to attack. Immobile rarely got in behind and could often be found drifting out right, to little effect.
AC Milan breakthrough star Patrick Cutrone was afforded an international debut and must surely be given the time and support to make a starting berth his own. Playing in an attacking trident alongside fellow youngster Federico Chiesa and Insigne, the Rossoneri poacher has the killer instinct to become a fixture in this side and it is frontline with plenty to work with.
The defeat to Argentina may be remembered more for the absence of Messi and as a farewell outing for Buffon, but over the long-term it ought to serve as a springboard for a new look Italy. The ignominy of failing to qualify for Russia means the Azzurri have nothing to lose, but everything to gain by implementing a responsible and well-managed overhaul.
