Italy's national football team has been a safe bet for decades. Recently, however, it has been struggling with itself - despite winning the European Championship title in 2021.
Only three years have passed since Italy's triumph over England in the European Championship final at Wembley Stadium in London. What could have been the beginning of an era proved in retrospect to be a slip up, a moment of happiness for the battered Italian fan soul that can hardly be explained.
Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup twice recently and the elimination for the current tournament was also not a glorious one for the four-time world champions, who finished behind group winners England and tied on points with Ukraine to qualify for the European Championship by the skin of their teeth without an extra round of play-offs.
Italy is ailing. Countless analyses have tried to get to the heart of the problem. Too few young players in the Serie A teams, too tight a tactical corset even in the youth teams or a lack of talented strikers - the conclusions drawn from the Italian national team's poor form are manifold. So far, they have not contributed to solving the problem.
Even Luciano Spalletti, Napoli's champion coach the season before last, has not made the hoped-for progress since replacing Roberto Mancini, who left for Saudi Arabia, as national team coach. The deficiencies were particularly evident in the second preliminary round match against Spain. While their opponents were boasting youngsters Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, only goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma stood out for the Italians. You will look in vain for a big star in the defending champions' team
But you should be careful not to write Italy off too quickly. Historically, the "Squadra Azzurra" often need little impetus to gain momentum at a tournament. The late draw against Croatia should have been a step in the right direction for Italy, who have proven often enough that they can also - and perhaps especially - pick up speed when facing headwinds.
And Italy are difficult for Switzerland to break down anyway, regardless of the constellation. The last victory came in 1993, when both teams successfully qualified for the World Cup in the USA. Since then, there have been five defeats in eleven matches, including a 3-0 loss in the preliminary round of the 2021 European Championship.
Italy in figures. Population: 60 million - Capital: Rome. - FIFA ranking: 10th - Participation in European Championship finals (11): 1968, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2021, 2024 - Best European Championship result: Winner (1968 and 2021). - Top scorer in the European Championship qualifiers: Davide Frattesi (3 goals). - Record player: Gianluigi Buffon (176 games). - Record goalscorer: Gigi Riva (35 goals). - Most famous players: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Riccardo Calafiori, Nicolò Barella, Jorginho and Federico Chiesa. - Coach: Luciano Spalletti (ITA, since 2023). - Record against Switzerland: 29 wins, 24 draws, 8 defeats.
