Andrea Stramaccioni warns Giampiero Ventura cannot be expected to use a 4-3-3 system for Italy and he wouldn’t want Lorenzo Insigne.
The Azzurri Coach has come under fire for his 4-2-4 system throughout the group stage and switched to 3-5-2 for the 1-0 World Cup play-off defeat in Sweden last night.
Many state that 4-3-3 is the most suitable option for these players, but it doesn’t have a place in Ventura’s history.
Andrea Stramaccioni warns Giampiero Ventura cannot be expected to use a 4-3-3 system for Italy and he wouldn’t want Lorenzo Insigne.
The Azzurri Coach has come under fire for his 4-2-4 system throughout the group stage and switched to 3-5-2 for the 1-0 World Cup play-off defeat in Sweden last night.
Many state that 4-3-3 is the most suitable option for these players, but it doesn’t have a place in Ventura’s history.
“Ventura was a mentor to me and he was chosen because he has always played in a certain way,” former Inter, Udinese and Panathinaikos Coach Stramaccioni told Radio Deejay.
“It is like hiring Zdenek Zeman or Gian Piero Gasperini, you know the way they play and the Nazionale doesn’t allow you much time to work with players in training.
“There is this talk of the 4-3-3, so why was Ventura brought in? That’s not his system. We all know Ventura uses either 3-5-2 or 4-2-4, that is Giampiero.”
On-form Napoli winger Insigne was benched in Sweden, then introduced for the final 15 minutes as a central midfielder.
“If Ventura had been offered Insigne when he was the Coach of Torino, he would not have wanted him joining the team,” continued Stramaccioni.
“Sweden have lost quality in attack without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but gained in solidity. They haven’t got much technique, but are more of a team unit.”
Marcus Berg risked a second yellow card on several occasions, but this too was of no surprise to Stramaccioni.
“I worked with him at Panathinaikos and he would beat opponents up in Greece too. The referee chose a certain approach to his officiating and was not helped by the fourth official, who was very close to the elbow on Daniele De Rossi.
“The truth is, everyone expected Sweden to be clammed up in their own half, but instead they were aggressive from the start.”