Radiant European champion, record series winner – and possible spectator at the soccer World Cup in Qatar. All of this is Italy. The Squadra Azzurra messed up the qualification, which was already believed to be safe, at the last moment, and now has to play in the playoffs. An entire nation has a terrible déjà vu.
Less than six months ago Italy showed all of Europe how to play football successfully. Not just at the European Championship, but on the way there. Hit the front consistently, just don’t concede any more goals at the back. The team of national coach Roberto Mancini pulled through, the Squadra Azzurra impressed with their determination, with their absolute will to win. She wore them up to the European Championship title. On the evening of July 11th, Giorgio Chiellini was able to raise the trophy into the London sky. After a nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out against hosts England, in which keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma became the hero of the European Championship finals.
The euphoria continued. At least a few months, a few successful months. But suddenly the bitter awakening. “Wembley is a distant memory,” says the “Gazzetta dello Sport”. Participation in the world championship is in acute danger, the next time after 2018. The direct qualification missed. Because they only scored 0-0 against Northern Ireland in the last game in Group C – and Switzerland won 4-0 against Bulgaria in the parallel game, overtaking Italy.
The sensation had begun. Italy had slacked off after many months of surfing on the wave of success. On June 26th, in the European Championship round of 16 against Austria, the Bastion fell. After 1168 minutes, Donnarumma had to accept another goal. That didn’t change anything in terms of success. On September 5th, the time had come: a world record. 36 games in a row unbeaten. No nation had done that before. A 0-0 win against Switzerland was enough for the Italians. This was followed by a 37th game with a whopping 5-0 against Lithuania – but then the series broke. In the semi-finals of the Nations League, Spain won 2-1.
Although it was enough to place third in the unloved tournament, Italy had apparently lost the winning win, the momentum, somewhere between the European Championship, World Cup qualification and Nations League. There have been four draws and only one win in the last five World Cup qualifying games. Especially the two draws against Switzerland weighed heavily. “Europe’s Footballer of the Year”, Jorginho, missed a penalty each time. Switzerland is now celebrating.
“Now we’re in this mess”
And Italy? Is completely upset. “Now we’re in this mess because we threw away a group that we probably already had,” said Mancini. Central defender Leonardo Bonucci said: “Something got stuck after the European Championship, we have to find that spirit again.” And at the same time gave his team tasks: “We have to recharge our batteries for March. We have to find the balance, the determination and above all the carefree of the European Championship.”
The newspaper “Tuttosport” headlines: “What a disappointment!” And in all the suffering, the “Gazzetta dello Sport” is already thinking ahead: “The CR7 nightmare lies between us and Doha.” The worries are justified, because the detour via the playoffs, which will be played in March, will definitely not be an easy one. It is the reservoir of illustrious nations and even more glamorous star players. In addition to Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal, who are there after the last-minute bankruptcy against Serbia, Poland also mix with world footballer Robert Lewandowski and Zlatan Ibrahimovic with Sweden. In the end, only three teams book the ticket to Qatar. “If we want to qualify, there are now two games,” continues the “Gazzetta dello Sport”. “And the prospect of an all-or-nothing final against CR7s Portugal or Ibras Sweden in Lisbon and Stockholm. That can happen, yes.”
Italy is back where it got stuck in 2017. In the screwed up playoffs. Sweden had won 1-0 after the return leg and were allowed to go to Russia, while Italy was not even there after the 2006 World Cup and the two preliminary rounds in 2010 and 2014, 2018. The last knockout match for the Italians at a World Cup is actually the 2006 World Cup final, more than 15 years ago. For a football nation as big as Italy, that’s a mighty setback. Even more so, should this series last any longer.
As a trainer, Mancini naturally has the task of keeping motivation high. “We have to stay calm. We still have a chance to make it. That is the most important thing.” Despite the threat of déjà-vus, he maintained that he was “deeply confident”. And went even further: “We will go to the world championship and maybe even win it.” He made this statement without consulting Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic and Lewandowski.