Your Italy team v England
You're Mancini, what's your team?
Donnarumma
Di Lorenzo Bonucci Chiellini Emerson
Verrati Jorginho Locatelli
Barrella
Chiesa________Insigne
I'd ditch any and all of their No9's, they're useless in their press and none of them can finish and produce precious little credible link play either, and play Barella more advanced like an attacking midfield for the press and so with the combined press of Chiesa, Barella and Insigne there's a 3 pressing the next line and also blocking any lines to play out and Barella or Locatelli who has some strike on him, might well chip in with a goal or assist coming forward looking to be found by Chiesa or Insigne released ahead of them.
I'd keep Chiesa and Insigne well advanced, with Insigne playing very inside left leaving Walker who offers nothing going forward sitting with no-one to get to grips with in putting him in that 'inbetween' two stalls position when he frequently gets done by inside out runs in behind him then does something very rash
I'd have Veratti at RCM because he has very good right to left switches and balls down the line and through the lines from there, I think it's a waste playing him at LCM
Italy's press had been pretty damned good, but I think keeping Chiesa and Insigne more advanced and having Barella as the other most advanced press rather than any of their forwards as they're all poor at it and don't ever look like scoring or assisting or releasing another player to assist and really really go after that midfield pairing of Rice and Phillips and England's back four with a very aggressive press given how they folded so disastrously under less pressure from a 4 man press than I'd expect my team to put on them
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
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