Three talking points from Italy’s 2-0 to Switzerland and EURO exit

Italy were knocked out of the EURO 2024 Round of 16 after a 2-0 loss against Switzerland on Saturday. Here are three things we learned from the game in Berlin and the Azzurri’s elimination.

Defending champions Italy suffered a 2-0 loss to Switzerland on Saturday, offering another awful performance which saw them produce just one shot on target. We’ve already analysed the players’ performances with player ratings, but there’s much more to say about a poor match and a disappointing tournament.

No reaction

The first thing that comes to mind is that Italy didn’t even react. Spalletti said it was down to sharpness and tempo and that, ultimately, Italy’s players were not in enough shape to play on par with the Swiss. This seems a bit too simplistic. The players’ attitude is what disturbed the fans even more than the result itself. Antonio Conte’s Italy were eliminated from the 2016 Euros in the quarter-finals by Germany, but everyone remembers that team – surely not stronger than this side – for their attitude and desire to fight on every ball. We didn’t see that from Italy against Switzerland and on other occasions here in Germany.

Confused

Perhaps some Italy players were not in shape. Surely, they were all confused. Spalletti changed three line-ups in four games and made a substitution during the first half of every match except the first one against Albania. This means that in three games from June 20, Italy have changed their formation every 45 minutes. It was already a team with little experience in playing together and Spalletti had been in charge for barely 10 matches before the Euros. Surely, mixing things up so much hasn’t helped the players and it’s a question Spalletti will have to answer at a press conference with FIGC President Gabriele Gravina today.

Striker

Here we are again. Italy thought they had found a reliable centre forward twice prior to the Euros. First it was Mateo Retegui who scored two goals in two matches in international friendlies in March. Then Gianluca Scamacca looked unplayable for Atalanta in the last three months of the campaign. We thought Italy had fixed their problems up front, but we had to think again. Italy centre forwards produced just one shot on target in four matches (it was Scamacca in the opening game against Albania). Strikers have been criticised and they partially deserve it. Scamacca, Retegui and even Raspadori were never a threat to any opponent, but at the same time, they didn’t even have the chance to score. Napoli‘s Spalletti were a goal machine thanks to Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but also thanks to collective play and a team able to set them up. No coincidence they struggled in 2023-24 without the same organisation around them. Italy never looked organised at EURO 2024 and were deservedly eliminated by a team that was not necessarily better in technical terms but surely more organised.