Record-breaking Italy and the burial of ‘catenaccio’

Italy has always struck fear into the hearts of their opponents. Their four World Cups, won in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006, are testament to this. But whereas in the past they won with a style of football that was as scrappy as it was effective, the 'Azzurri' are now an attacking, brilliant and spectacular outfit. Roberto Mancini has been the architect of this transformation, which has gone hand-in-hand with the general improvement in the level of Italian football. In the 2020-21 season, there were an average number of 3.06 goals per Serie A match, compared to 2.51 goals in LaLiga matches. This is something worth reflecting on.

10 September 2018 marked a real turning point. Italy had just lost 1-0 in the Nations League to the eventual champions, Portugal. This was the last time that Roberto Mancini, who had been appointed as head coach of the 'Azzurri' after their humiliating failure to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, played with a double pivot in a 4-4-2 and was seen to be more concerned about their opponents than themselves. Mancini saw the light in the Estádio da Luz and, since then, has taken the team on a 32-game unbeaten streak, winning 27 of them.

Coming into Tuesday's semi-final against Spain, Italy have now won their last 13 games on the bounce. Some have argued that they are yet to face a team of a similar calibre, although in the quarter finals they dispatched with a Belgium side who arrived at the Allianz Arena with the distinction of having been the top-ranked side in the FIFA rankings for the last three years.

PLENO AL 15

Like Italy, the 'Red Devils' had enjoyed a faultless qualifying round and European Championship proper. With fourteen consecutive victories, which in the case of Italy are now 15 wins on the bounce (with 49 goals for and only six against), they have set a new record, beating the one previously held by Germany. The Germans, by the way, had their own winning streak cut short when they played against the 'Azzurri' in Euro 2012, who were eventually thrashed 4-0 by Spain in the final. That is how history is written.

If they beat Spain, Italy will become the first national team in history to register six victories in the European Championship proper, not to mention the fact that these would be consecutive wins. This Italy side can't stop setting records. However, the significant thing is that they are doing so while burying the defensive 'catenaccio' style that they had employed for so long. Mancini's Italy win convincingly, take the initiative and don't take their foot off the gas when they go one-up. They are an opponent to be feared.