As Davide Astori cut short a holiday from Miami to join the Azzurri yesterday afternoon, it's looking increasingly likely that Andrea Barzagli will bow out of UEFA EURO 2012 before it has even begun. Cesare Prandelli will take a final decision on Friday but with the Juventus defender already ruled out for the group stage with a calf injury, Prandelli must decide whether he can afford to risk leaving numbers light at the back.
The talk in the press all week has been of Italy departing from their usual 4-3-1-2 formation in favour of a 3-5-2, and Prandelli has been experimenting with Daniele De Rossi at centre-back. However, the former ACF Fiorentina coach would undoubtedly be more comfortable taking this approach were Barzagli available as he, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci have all played together in that role for Juventus this term.Andrea Barzagli is struggling with injury
Barzagli's absence makes such an option more risky. De Rossi has played at the back, but in a four rather than a three-man rearguard, while both Angelo Ogbonna and Astori are also more accustomed to playing in a four. Such problems place the onus on the midfield to help out more defensively and the attack to break their three-match goal drought.
As Morgan De Sanctis said in yesterday's press conference: "It went wrong for us against Russia, but the result [a 3-0 defeat] wasn't a fair reflection of the way we played. What we learnt was that we need to improve the balance of the side. We looked capable of scoring at any time but we also looked just as likely to concede, so need a better balance. The teams that go the distance at EURO are those who defend the best, even if they don't necessarily score many goals."
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