Italy have kicked off the European Championships with a 3-0 win over Turkey in the opening game of Group A.
Roberto Mancini’s men were dominant from start to finish, and the likes of Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile scored to secure the three points for the Italians. The opening goal of the game was an own goal from Merih Demiral.
Here at Anytime Football, we look at the five major talking points from tonight’s contest.
Italy’s defensive quality
Mancini went for experience at the back, and the likes of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci produced spectacular performances in the opening game of the euro 2020.
Both defenders managed to shut out the Turkish attack, and the likes of Burak Yilmaz hardly had a sniff of the goal across the ninety minutes.
With the likes of Romagnoli at their disposal, Italy have a defensive unit to be reckoned with.
Nicolo Barella – the orchestrator
The Inter Milan midfielder is highly rated across Europe, and tonight’s performance showed exactly why.
He produced an impressive display for his country at the centre of the park. The 24-year-old controlled the tempo of the game with his passing, and he was instrumental in recycling the possession for the Italians.
Barella’s passing, movement and intelligence were crucial to Italy dominating the game tonight. With the likes of Jorginho and Locatelli sitting deep, Barella was tasked with the job of the playmaker, and he did well to support with likes of Berardi, Insigne and Immobile with his assured passing in the final third.
Turkey’s passive tactics made Yilmaz and Yazici ineffective
The Turkish outfit were way too defensive tonight, and star striker Burak Yilmaz was isolated up front.
The likes of Yusuf Yazici are used to play in an advanced role just behind the striker, but the midfielder was left in a deeper role tonight, and Yilmaz had a lot to do all by himself.
Turkey’s attack looked disjointed throughout the game, and they will have to shuffle their tactics in the next outing if they want to pick up all three points.
The impressive Lorenzo Insigne
The Napoli forward disappointed with his finishing in the first half, but his movement was outstanding, and it helped Italy open up a well organized Turkish defence.
The Italian winger used the half spaces to his advantage, and Turkey failed to mark him because of his intelligence. Insigne was rewarded with a goal in the second half as he made it 3-0 for Italy with a curler.
Italy will be the dark horse
The likes of France, England, Belgium and Portugal have all been tipped to do well in the tournament, but few would have expected Roberto Mancini’s Italy to start the tournament the way they have.
Italy do not have any glaring weaknesses, and their impressive balance in the squad makes them the dark horses for this year’s European Championships.
They are sound defensively, and Mancini’s midfield and attack have shown tonight that they are just as good.
