Destiny Udogie was deployed as a left-back in a 4-2-3-1 system in his first two games at Tottenham: a potentially beneficial tactical change for Luciano Spalletti’s Italy.
The 20-year-old joined Spurs from Udinese in the summer after spending the last season on loan at Udinese. Udogie mainly played as a left wing-back in a 3-5-2 formation at the Dacia Arena, one of the reasons why Roberto Mancini didn’t give him his senior Azzurri debut during his time in charge of La Nazionale.
Udogie was one of Serie A’s most exciting left wing-backs, but Mancio mainly used a 4-3-3 formation so he never really relied on the 20-year-old who, in turn, has collected eight appearances with Italy U21 squad.
Things may change in the near future as Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou has been deploying the Italian as a left-back in a 4-2-3-1 formation during his first two competitive matches in charge of Spurs, including a 2-0 win over Manchester United this past Saturday.
This could turn out to be a key tactical change for Udogie considering that new Italy boss Luciano Spalletti will surely use a four-man defence once he takes charge of the Azzurri from September 1.
Federico Dimarco and Leonardo Spinazzola were the left-backs called up by Mancini for his eventual last two games as Italy’s coach in June, while Udogie was included in Italy’s U21 squad for the U21 European Championships.
The new Tottenham defender only made one appearance as a left wing-back in a 3-5-2 formation in the competition that saw the Azzurrini face elimination in the group stage.
Gaining experience in a new position and system will surely allow Udogie to get more chances to be called up by Spalletti, who will debut on September 9 in the EURO 2024 qualifiers against North Macedonia.