Switzerland's opponent in the round of 16 Defending champions and underdogs - Italy and their many problems

Italy's national team has been a safe bet for decades. Recently, however, it has mainly been struggling with itself - despite winning the 2021 European Championship title. Now the national team is challenging the four-time world and two-time European champions in the round of 16.

Keystone-SDA

24.06.2024, 23:47

25.06.2024, 11:29

SDA

It is only three years since Italy's triumph against 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 are 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.

The defending champions become outsiders

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 search in vain for a big star in the defending champions' team.

Zaccagni shocks Croatia late onItaly equalizes in the 98th minute and challenges Switzerland in the round of 16

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.

The national team has been waiting a long time for a win

And for Switzerland, Italy is difficult to beat 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 meetings, including a 3-0 loss in the preliminary round of the 2021 European Championship. The last two encounters ended in a draw in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.