The Azzurri made it six wins out of six in Euro 2020 qualifying and Elio Salerno explains some of the tactical adjustments made to beat Finland.
Roberto Mancini’s Italy took a giant step toward qualification for Euro 2020 with a hard-fought victory over Group J rivals Finland.
He chose to make five changes to the team that had beaten Armenia three days prior. Lazio centre-back Francesco Acerbi made his competitive debut for Italy with Armando Izzo, Stefano Sensi, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Ciro Immobile completing a much changed XI.
Armando Izzo admits he “didn’t expect to start” Italy’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Finland, but he hopes to “be back in future!”
The Torino centre-back was used as a right-back, effectively remaining in defence while Emerson Palmieri first and then Alessandro Florenzi were allowed to push up constantly down the left.
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There are several potential changes for Italy in their Euro 2020 trip to Finland, including Lorenzo Pellegrini, Armando Izzo and Stephan El Shaarawy.
It kicks off in Tampere on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).
These are the teams at the top of Group J, with the only difference between them being a 2-0 Azzurri victory back in March.
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Torino cruised into the Europa League third qualifying round after a 4-1 victory over Hungarian side Debrecen on Thursday.
The first leg ended 3-0 for the Granata with goals from Cristian Ansaldi, Andrea Belotti and Simone Zaza, but Iago Falque, Lyanco, Sasa Lukic and Ola Aina didn’t make the trip to Hungary.
Coach Walter Mazzarri had urged his men to forget that result and go for the win here too, so it was a very aggressive start from Toro.
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Torino have announced that defender Armando Izzo has extended his contract with the club until 2024.
Roma and several Premier League sides were looking at Izzo earlier in the summer, but none of them were prepared to meet Torino's €30m valuation.
Instead, he has opted to sign on with the Granata for the next five years.
The 27-year-old was banned for match-fixing in 2017 but has gone on to become a mainstay in Toro's backline, helping them qualify for the Europa League last season.
He also has one cap for Italy.
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With Torino unexpectedly given a shot at the Europa League, Jay Cassano evaluates where the squad needs to improve.
Milan's exclusion from European football as a result of their Financial Fair Play settlement means Torino gets to take their place. In truth, missing a season of the Europa League won't have much impact on Milan's fortunes given their strong revenue base while they try to become a Champions League squad once again. But for Torino, it represents a significant upswing in fortunes. This windfall sets the Granata up to continue building on the strong work they've done in recent seasons.
Armando Izzo’s agent has confessed that Roma are the ‘perfect’ team for the Torino defender.
Izzo had been linked with moves to Arsenal and Manchester United, but neither side were prepared to materialise their interest as Toro value him at €30m.
However, Paolo Palermo has invited Roma – who need a replacement for Kostas Manolas – to make an offer.
“I don’t know about an offer from Roma,” Palermo told Teleradiostereo.
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President Urbano Cairo insists Torino “deserved” to enter the Europa League after 63 Serie A points, even if it did need Milan’s exclusion first.
The Rossoneri had been due to enter the tournament in the group phase, with Roma in the preliminary round, but UEFA excluded them for Financial Fair Play violations.
Consequently, Roma were bumped up to the group phase and Torino enter the preliminary round starting July 25 against either Debrecen or Kukesi.
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Armando Izzo says he is ‘happy’ at Torino, despite English interest, and that ‘Chiellini aside, I don’t see any Italian defenders better than me.’
Izzo has completed a remarkable turnaround in his career, from being banned for match-fixing two years ago to becoming a mainstay in Torino’s backline and being linked with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton.
“I’m happy,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
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Torino defender Armando Izzo is inundated with Premier League offers from Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton, but is valued at €30m.
According to Tuttosport, the 27-year-old centre-back’s agent Paolo Palermo is currently in London to discuss proposals from several different English clubs.
Arsenal were the first to show an interest, but now Manchester United and Everton have also dived in with their own offers.
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