injuries, lack of realism, trauma of 2017… The reasons behind Italy’s new nightmare

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Marco Verratti and Gianluigi Donnarumma are cursed. Barely two weeks after experiencing a terrible disappointment with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16 against Real Madrid, the two PSG players this time suffered an earthquake in Palermo on Thursday March 24. On the sidelines of the Renzo Barbera stadium, after the match, Verratti was in tears. Donnarumma, he had to review Aleksandar Trajkosvki’s goal over and over again on which he could not do anything, allowing North Macedonia to create a huge surprise (1-0).

For the first time in its history, and since the very first World Cup which dates back to 1930, the Italian selection will miss the World Cup for the second time in a row. A new thunderbolt after his absence from the 2018 edition. All the more so when we know that the Nazionale had lived a dream summer eight months ago, following a surprise victory at the Euro. A competition during which the team of Roberto Mancini had seduced by the strength of its collective and its flamboyant style of play.

Facing North Macedonia on Thursday evening, the Squadra Azzurra nevertheless had opportunities. With 32 Italian shots against four Macedonians, there was plenty of room to hope for another outcome. “We have to win this game. We have to score, we were superior. And then it’s the nightmare“, explained Verratti after the meeting. This nightmare, the midfielder of PSG had already experienced it in 2017, when Italy outrageously dominated the return match against Sweden (26 shots, 75% possession), before losing. to eliminate in barrages without scoring (0-1, 0-0).

The scenario is the same, but the reasons differ. Since the Euro, Italy has lost the recipe. The end of the World Cup qualifiers was a long way of the cross for Mancini’s players, with four draws in five games and only one convincing victory, against Lithuania (5-0). During the League of Nations, at home in Turin and Milan, it was against Spain that the Nazionale lost ground in the semi-finals (1-2). His first loss in 37 games. The so solid Italian house then began to crack.

Against North Macedonia, the absence of Federico Chiesa, the soul of this team and injured for a long time, inevitably hurt a lot. But already with him, Italy was skating. And when the collective derails, it is sometimes necessary to seek the small beast on the side of the executives. Invisible tonight, Ciro Immobile, sparkling with Lazio, still can’t do it in the selection with which he hasn’t scored for seven games. Just like Domenico Berardi, excellent with Sassuolo in Serie A, but so clumsy against the Macedonians.

Jorginho, named in the standard team of the last Euro, notably failed in the last matches of the playoffs. Considered one of the best penalty takers in the world, the Chelsea midfielder missed twice in this exercise. Both times against Switzerland, in September (0-0) and November (1-1). If he had succeeded, Italy would already have qualified for the World Cup. “I think about it and I will think about it all my life“, regretted Jorginho after the defeat against North Macedonia.

Inevitably, Roberto Mancini will find himself in the spotlight. Artisan of the renewal of Italy since his arrival at the head of the selection in 2018, conductor of a team which conquered all observers during the last Euro, this immense failure is also his. “My future ? We’ll see later. This is the biggest disappointment of my career“, said Mancini, stunned after the defeat. Some of the manager’s choices in recent months are sure to come under close scrutiny.

In history, only three Euro winners then missed the World Cup that followed. Czechoslovakia in 1978, Denmark in 1994 and Greece in 2006. Italy, which never imagined being on this list for a moment, joined it after a sad evening in Palermo. The long-awaited final against Portugal will therefore never take place. Beyond the fate of coach Mancini, the Italian leaders will inevitably have to use this immense disappointment for the future.

Because missing the next 2026 World Cup is not an option. For too many years, Italian clubs have neglected training: according to the calculations of the Gazzetta dello Sport, the playing time of Italians under 21 in Serie A represents only 4% of the total playing time. Italy has work. But for now, the disappointment is omnipresent. The report drawn up this evening by captain Giorgio Chiellini is simple, clear and sums up well what Italian football has just experienced: “We are destroyed.“


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