TMW
Two days before the match against Switzerland, Luciano Spalletti has locked down the Hemberg Stadion in Iserlohn to begin tactical tests in preparation for Saturday afternoon’s match in Berlin against the Swiss. The national team coach intends to insist on the three-man defense, but must make a decision on the replacement for Riccardo Calafiori, a suspended player who will not be able to take part in the match: at the moment, Gianluca Mancini is favored over Alessandro Buongiorno with Matteo Darmian on the center-right and Alessandro Bastoni on the center-left in front of captain Donnarumma.
For the rest, the team needs to be built: as usual, in the penultimate training session before the match, the coach shuffled the cards, but Chiesa and Scamacca – who came on well in the match against Croatia – could return to the starting lineup in the 3-4-2-1 designed to challenge Murat Yakin’s Swiss: if they are at their best, Di Lorenzo and Dimarco remain the favorites to fill the role of full-backs. In the middle of the field, Barella and Jorginho (or the surprise Fagioli?) will be supported by a more offensive midfielder (Frattesi or Pellegrini).
Luciano Spalletti mixed up the cards today. Few certainties about the men, tomorrow morning’s training will be decisive. But on the formation, against Switzerland’s 3-4-2-1, the path seems increasingly clear: space for the three-man defence.