Urgently wanted: a goal-scoring striker with an Italian passport. After an appallingly weak performance against Spain, the defending European champions fear elimination.
24.06.2024, 05:30
24.06.2024, 09:01
SDA
"Piccola Italia" - little Italy - was the headline in the "Gazzetta dello Sport" after the revelation against Spain. The Italians lost their second group game 0:1, and the result was extremely flattering. In truth, they were crassly inferior in every respect. Only goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Donnarumma prevented a complete debacle with a world-class performance.
The biggest problem area, however, lies in the opposition penalty area. Fabio Capello had already suspected this before the start of the tournament. "We have a bit of a desert at center forward," the former successful coach of AC Milan and Real Madrid stated in the specialist newspaper "Corriere dello Sport". "And I would like to remind you that you have to score goals to win in football." But that is precisely what the Italians are lacking.
Fourteen strikers, none successful
For some time now, there has been a lack of reliable goal scorers like Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero (both 27 goals for the "Nazionale") or Mario Balotelli (14). Luciano Spalletti has tried out no fewer than fourteen strikers since taking over from Roberto Mancini, who was lured to Saudi Arabia, ten months ago. He has not found what he was looking for. With ten goals, midfielder Nicolo Barella, who also scored the opening goal in the 2:1 win against Albania, is the top scorer in the current European Championship squad.
The comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo (130 goals), Romelu Lukaku (85), Robert Lewandowski (82), Harry Kane (64), Olivier Giroud (57), Kylian Mbappé (47) and Xherdan Shaqiri (32) is striking. There is not a single Italian in the top ten scorers of the past Serie A season.
Betting offenders as beacons of hope
On Monday evening, when they will need at least a draw against Croatia in Leipzig to secure a place in the round of 16, another change is looming. Gianluca Scamacca, who has impressed for Europa League winners Atalanta Bergamo, has scored just one goal in 18 international appearances for the Squadra Azzurra and failed to score once in 64 minutes against Spain. In his place, the Argentine Mateo Retegui, who was only naturalized a year ago, will try his luck.
Against Spain, however, the midfield was hopelessly overstretched with the speedy youngsters Pedri, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. Most observers therefore expect the 32-year-old Jorginho, who played an eminent role in the European Championship title three years ago, to make way for Nicolo Fagioli, who is nine years younger. The versatile Juventus midfielder would probably have become an issue sooner had he not only returned from a seven-month ban for betting offenses in mid-May.
With anger in his belly
The challenge against the over-aged Croatians, who have disappointed across the board so far and are in desperate need of a win, is a completely different one than against the dynamic Spain. "We're angry, but we should use that for the last game," said Donnarumma. "We still have our fate in our own hands." Looking back also gives hope.
They also won the surprising European Championship title in 2021 without an outstanding goalscorer. Nobody scored more than two goals. But it's not always enough to rely entirely on goalkeeper Donnarumma; a striker's goal every now and then would be an advantage.
