2019 World Cup (U-20). Introducing the opponent: the national team of Italy

11.06.2019 13:02

Photo fifa.com

From the quartet of national teams that reached the semifinals of the World Cup U-20, only two previously climbed so high - the teams of South Korea (bronze in 1983) and Italy (fourth place in the last World Cup, in 2017). From that lineup, by the way, the Italians have one player in the current tournament - goalkeeper Alessandro Pizzari.

Interestingly, he is the main player in the U-20 national team, although he does not play for Milan due to the presence of Gianluigi Donnarumma, a very talented goalkeeper born in 1999, who has not played for the junior national teams of Italy for a long time. Donnarumma is a figure of a completely different caliber. He has 12 matches for the Italian national team, he played 36 of the 38 matches of the Italian championship in the 2018/2019 season, and in total for the basis of "Milan" in his 20 years - already 164 (!) Matches (142 of them). - in Series A). Fantastic statistics!

In general, Italy could put a much stronger team at this World Cup. And much more stellar. Currently, the total market value of the players of the Italian U-20 bid according to Transfermarkt is 30 million euros (the most expensive in the lineup - forward Andrea Pinamonti, 10 million), while Donnarumma alone costs 55 million euros.

40-year-old forward Moise Keane (Juventus) and 19-year-old midfielder Niccolo Zagnolo (Roma), called up to the Italian national team for the Euro 19 qualifying round match against Greece, are rated at the same high level - 2020 million euros each. and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 20-year-old defender Alessandro Bastony (Parma, 15 million), 19-year-old midfielder Sandro Tonali (Brescia, 25 million) and 18-year-old forward Pietro Pellegri have already visited the national team's camp. (Monaco, 7 million).

In general, if you take the list of the seven highest-ranked Italian players born in 1999-2001 and compare it with the application for the 2019 World Cup (U-20), you can find only one name - Pinamonti, which ranks sixth in this list. The rest of the top players in Italy did not come to Poland.

But that did not stop the young "Squadra Azzurri", which became the vice-champion of the continent at Euro 2018 (U-19), to win four matches out of five at the World Cup. Coach Paolo Nicolato's wards decided to leave the group ahead of schedule, winning in Mexico (2: 1) and another semifinalist - Ecuador (1: 0), and then drawing with Japan (0: 0) with a rotation of staff.

In the first stage of the playoffs, Italy put on the shoulders of the host of the tournament - Poland (1: 0), and in the quarterfinals defeated a very powerful team of Mali (4: 2), pressing it in the last 10 minutes of the meeting.

In terms of tactical construction, the Italians are partly similar to the Ukrainian national team - they play with three central defenders and a rich midfielder (the midfielders are accompanied by flanking players - laterals). The only difference is that Oleksandr Petrakov has one forward ahead of him, and Nicolato has two ahead.

Photo fifa.com

The composition of the national team of Italy U-20

І - Games for the 2019 World Cup (U-20), Min - minutes on the field, Г - goals (for goalkeepers - missed).