The attractive promises of Italy under 20

It’s not easy to come out of a U20 World Cup with strong convictions. It is a competition that provides data that are difficult to define: because of the age of the players, the diversity of world football movements themselves and their historical moment, because of the apparent weight of the thousand factors, whether measurable or not, that influence have the careers of talents that make observers from around the world heart pound. On average, around 35% of the players in the winning squad make at least one appearance in the Champions League. The majority of them should Don’t keep promises.

While it’s overly optimistic to think that success is a guarantee for the future, there’s no denying a string of good finishes to prove it health status a movement.

Italy played and lost the final after reaching the third consecutive semi-final of the tournament. Better than us, with four in a row, only Brazil and Argentina, nations that together claim twelve of twenty-two senior world titles. A second place came along a private under 20 of the most experienced 2003s at a high level, the various Gnonto, Miretti, Scalvini, Fazzini, Volpato stayed at home. transfer market (a good indicator, but not gospel at all, even if many just don’t get there), among the top 20 players of the World Cup he recognizes as many as 8 Brazilians, 6 English and only two Italians, Casadei and Baldanzi.

Who were among the best players in the world, as well as in our sub-team, a team that in turn is worth 32.5 million. From 12 in Casadei to 75,000 in Prati. The overview of the teams ranges from Champions League finalists to 20th in Serie C: 3 players for Inter and Empoli, 2 for Roma and then one each for Udinese, Juventus, Sassuolo, Sampdoria, Genoa, Ascoli, Cittadella, Spal , Aquila , Trento, Giugliano, Mantua. Carmine Nunziata, He was governor of midfield at rising Padua in the early 1990s and then reinvented himself as national coach, he noted an lightning fast 4-3-1-2.

Against Brazil, just 15 seconds into the World Cup, Pafundi hurled Baldanzi into the box. It is the beginning of a refrain, namely the von continuous search for verticalization, who will not leave us for the rest of the tournament. The first hour against the Brazilians is perfect and sometimes sensational, the first goal is indicative of the style code of our Under: When Casadei heads the ball that Prati will put into the Brazilian goal for the first of the three goals, there are no less than four Azzurri in the area and two more near the line.

It is the result of an extremely clear federal dictate, everyone must do everything, on the trocar the midfielder must be able to communicate with both the midfielder going up and the second striker going down. But you have to run, always a lot and above all in the right placesAnd it is no coincidence that there was a defeat with Nigeria. Known for their intensity and physical strength (without neglecting the cyclical controversies about the age of some of them), the Africans don’t make you think too much, they bite you before the median can set the verticalization and they can keep up with it When you are young, football is easily accessible to everyone.

With the Dominican Republic secured, there was a change in leadership in attack as they headed into the knockout phase. About Pafundidue to the careless incantation of Mancini, the anticipation was great. The extreme technical talent does not seem to be objectionable. The goal against Korea, the naturalness of the gesture combined with his psychological difficulties and those of the team has not been seen in a young Italian talent for a long time.

But the impression is that the Monfalconese is not yet considered his teammates’ first choice for the last pass (symbolic of Baldanzi, who let the whole field run alongside him in the penalty shoot-out against the Green-Golden, but prefers to wait and serve Casadei , although the Romagnolo is in a more backward and much less dangerous position), but pays off even more the least physicality in the folding phase (which it generously lends itself to) compared to others, and that Nunziata rightly prefers not to distort its basic module to emphasize weight and centimeters.

It is a decision falsified by a mistake in the final.

Against england A superb performance, Ambrosino’s outside pass to Baldanzi is a work of art, but so are certain fouls he was able to win at key points of the pitch in a game of very high difficulty. It was a well-played game from the defensive line too, but one gets the impression that the department is built on principles rather than sensations and that no one is capable of remedial action on their own unless the principle is applied.

Of course, the defenders’ maturation periods are much longer than those of the other departments, but looking at Italy one often gets the impression that it is not impenetrable, that the price to be paid for attacking plans is sometimes mind-boggling, with slight fear and Confusion that envelops the edge of our area when the enemy comes towards us. With Colombia Psychologically complex game, they attack us but don’t sting, Casadei and Baldanzi together with Esposito’s wonderful heel take us to the semifinals. Against the Koreansaccording to tradition it is difficult.

Asian football is on the rise, Korea were finalists at the last edition and their second straight finish in the top four is a sign that Seoul means business. We manage not to concede two goals, but we’re getting very close, and we’re doing it alone Pafundi is on the left Now that extra time is over, he opens the doors for us to the final. In the last chapter we have Uruguay, who, as everyone knows, is a bad customer – and youth football is no exception.

“We seem to have come from the Oratory, you from prison‘ One of the comments I heard after the first five minutes of the final.

A terrible game, like South American football in the worst (or best) possible sense: an indecent pitch, a team that couldn’t do everything they (us) wanted, and a team with no talent, tactical obsessions, positional defense or demanding attacking midfielders He slowly killed us with self-denial, malice, solidity and experience. Well, because that counts too. As limited as the Uruguayan league is, it They consistently play at the highest level of football in their country.

At some point, realizing that more brawn would be needed (but in the meantime, as spaces opened up, it might be worth insisting on Pafundi as the captain who sinks with his own ship), Nunziata put Montevago down to just twenty years 229 minutes for the pros. Speech is misused, but absolutely paramount: always Too few young Italians in Serie A teams. But it’s like fighting windmills, so we get to the gruesome goal that dooms Italy.

It is the bitter confirmation of the bad feelings displayed by the defense throughout the tournament, shortcomings that went largely unnoticed by the critics, blinded by the lively offensive renaissance that has bolstered our under team’s tactical lineup. It’s often said that results count for little in youth football, and that’s true, because it’s also true that the ultimate goal of the sport is to win. Not only did Italy concede goals in the Dominican Republic, 7 goals conceded in 7 games, Uruguay 3, only against England in the group stage. Of course, there are very good reasons for this I’m satisfied when I’ve seen them in Argentina.

Some players, we bet, could well be in the 35% who will play in the Champions League. But it would be naïve not to notice that it is there a revolution in progress, and we are not a people particularly interested in abandoning traditions. The underlying culture of our football, which reflects a certain way of life in the world, is cynical, speculative and result-oriented. Brera argued that it was because of our physical need, perhaps but certainly because of our spiritual need.

We don’t know what will become of these children and in this way di mean soccer in 10 years.

But one thing we can predict: that in Italy a beautiful but losing national team will always be less remembered than an ugly but successful one. And if the way of performing on the field can be successfully changed and enforced with immense efforts, it is more difficult to eradicate a widespread mentality in stadiums, bars, offices, armchairs, streets, taverns and provincial camps. We have never been a dogmatic nation. It would be a shame to miss the opportunity to combine a wisdom that has propelled us four times to the top of the world with this intriguing desire for new things. But the debate is open and we are sure that it will keep us busy for years to come.