Journalist
November 17, 2024 (changed at 10.52pm) – MILANO
France brings us back to earth. After Thursday’s feat in Brussels which earned us qualification to the Nations League quarter-finals, Deschamps’ team beats us at home, redeems the first leg defeat and denies us the possibility of first place in the group thanks to a better goal difference overall in the group. On Friday we will have a more difficult draw (Germany, Portugal or Spain) and the chances of qualifying for the Final Four in June will certainly be less. It’s a shame because tonight we could have even allowed ourselves to lose with a one-goal margin and we would still have finished ahead of Maignan and his teammates who were superior in every way. The Transalpines highlighted the shortcomings of an Italy that has conceded the last six goals, all from set pieces. Too many not to force reflection. However, credit goes to the French who dictate the law in the middle and make us understand that it is no coincidence that they are the vice world champions. We’re ending 2024 badly, but let’s not forget where we started from, that is, from the shipwreck of the European Championship. The balance remains positive even if the evening at the Meazza, in front of a record crowd, is bitter.
FRANCE SUPER
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Spalletti makes only two changes compared to Thursday in Brussels: Deputy for Donnarumma, knocked out this morning by a virus, and Locatelli as director for Rovella. No debut as a starter for Daniel Maldini: Barella confirmed in the attacking midfield behind Retegui. In France Deschamps sends AC Milan player Theo Hernandez, Barcola, Kanté and Zaire-Emery to the bench to focus on a 4-3-1-2 that has Thuram and Kolo Muani as wide forwards and Nkunku as an attacking midfielder who brings the pressure on Locatelli and guarantees parity number in the middle of the field. France, narrow, short and with very advanced pressure, immediately made it clear that they wanted to make up for the first leg defeat and Thursday’s 0-0 draw against Israel. And exactly as happened at the Parc des Princes in September, they immediately took the lead: this time the goal came from Rabiot, following a corner from Digne, but as happened in Paris with Di Lorenzo’s mistake, we put our best foot forward because we The former Juventus player is too free to strike. The blow is one of those that hurt: Lucio asks for more width from the wingers, but we struggle to find ourselves and dribble. The approach to the match this time is not right: Retegui is a spectator who has never been served and we are always holding our breath.
BLUE SHOCK
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A shot from outside by Captain Barella was neutralized by Maignan without however allowing the Transalpines to be intimidated or crushed. The guests have more kilos and centimeters and the difference can also be felt on the pitch because Italy, when they could relax, makes a lot of mistakes: we lack precision in the last pass and are unable to be dangerous. Halfway through the first half the national team seems to raise its head and find the football that hurt Lukaku and his teammates on Thursday in the first half, but it is an illusion because Deschamps’ men are in charge in the middle with a super Kone and doubled with a perfect free kick from Digne which hit the crossbar and then Vicario’s back before ending up in the net. San Siro is frozen and Spalletti spreads his arms to spur a reaction. One of the coach’s praetorians, Inter player Dimarco, plays the charge: it is he who steals the ball from Digne, who reaches the back after a triangle and crosses for the goal of the other “fifth”, Cambiaso. Applause action. Meazza comes back to life and the end of the first half is level even though we go to the locker room 2-1 down.
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RABIOT AGAIN
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The second half resumes with the same formations and with balance. France doesn’t allow us to control the pace, they have attackers who press and put us in difficulty in the middle. The first shot is from Nkunku who is blocked by Vicario, while Dimarco shoots for a corner from the edge. Not even Locatelli finds the target from outside and the feeling is that in terms of offensive danger we are missing something. France, on the other hand, can count on Thuram, ferocious in his pressure and good at getting the free kick to make it 3-1 after a great run of his own: the pattern is the same as the 1-0, with Digne kicking and Rabiot collecting the header. How much freedom… We have a tremendous effort on set pieces. Spalletti makes three substitutions at once: Kean, Raspadori and Rovella for Retegui, Frattesi and Locatelli. Barella moves back to the midfield and we become more offensive in our interpretation of the formation, which however does not change. However, France doesn’t give us anything and the coach dares even more with Maldini replacing Cambiaso and the back four. Deschamps responds with the speed of Barcola for Thuram. On the pitch, however, not much changes because we are unable to make ourselves dangerous: in the end in the second half only two shots on target, both in injury time with Rovella and Kean, which Maignan overtakes. So we lose 3-1: it’s the first knockout in the Nations League group and it hurts because it takes away first place. It doesn’t eliminate the post-Belgium enthusiasm, but it makes us understand that the road to becoming great again is not over yet.
