Italy’s dismal failure to qualify for football’s biggest tournament marked another low point in the modern history of the national side and Stephen Kasiewicz goes through the key errors that led to another shocking elimination.
While a host of the most powerful nations will compete for the ultimate prize in Qatar, the Azzurri will watch on from afar. In an error-strewn qualifying campaign, Italy were eventually beaten in a humiliating play-off at home by minnows North Macedonia.
A disastrous cocktail of factors contributed to another massive letdown for the national side.
From the inability to find a reliable goalscorer, the failure of a previously reliable penalty taker and the exclusion of talented youngsters – and a lot more in between – coach Roberto Mancini fell from the immeasurable high of winning Euro 2020 to the ignominy of an entirely avoidable qualifying exit.
It all began promisingly enough with three consecutive two-goal victories in Group C against Northern Ireland in Parma and away at Bulgaria and Lithuania in March 2021. Mancini’s favoured 4-3-3 high-tempo game plan was effective as the Azzurri comfortably recorded a trio of victories in games they were expected to win.
A defence marshalled by Leonardo Bonucci held firm, Ciro Immobile netted twice amid a flurry of misses and Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Insigne flourished on the wings. The Azzurri took flight at the Euros three months later and claimed a spectacular tournament victory against England at Wembley while playing an aesthetically pleasing brand of aggressive, pressing football.
Everything started to go downhill thereafter. Italy gradually stumbled from the peak they ascended at the Euros as key players deteriorated and youngsters were left on the sidelines. The Azzurri endured a September to forget as they somehow managed just one win in three frustrating fixtures.
A worrying combination of defensive frailty – missing Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Chiellini – coupled with an inability to convert a multitude of presentable opportunities marred a deflating 1-1 draw in Florence against Bulgaria. The continued absence of pacy wing-back Leonardo Spinazzola through injury also stripped the Azzurri of a much-needed offensive outlet.
Federico Chiesa scored a brilliant individual goal, but it only papered over noticeable cracks. The Azzurri’s overreliance on the Juventus forward for all things creative proved a significant problem as Immobile again wasted good chances.
Profligacy haunted Italy as they drew a blank in a damaging goalless stalemate away at Switzerland. Berardi couldn’t convert with just goalkeeper Yann Sommer to beat, and the usually reliable Jorginho missed a penalty. Forwards Giacomo Raspadori and Nicolò Zaniolo featured against the Bulgarians and Swiss but were not trusted with sufficient time to make any kind of significant impact.
Italy stuck five past Lithuania in a straightforward trouncing in Reggio Emilia, but it hardly made up for the previous two draws. Raspadori and Moise Kean started up front in an experimental team with the former scoring once and the latter twice. However, it was nothing more than a stroll against the weakest team in the group.
The seeds of doubt resurfaced in November 2021 as two more draws severely hampered the Azzurri’s World Cup ambitions. Chiellini and Immobile were injured as a buoyant Switzerland forged ahead in Rome. Italy could not match the energy and effort of the Swiss until a first half resurgence.
Nicolò Barella was denied from point-blank range, and Di Lorenzo headed a deserved equaliser. Lone striker Belotti was often isolated and Chiesa only intermittently shone as substitute Berardi won a late penalty. Jorginho was not up to the task and fired hopelessly over the bar. Although Italy remained top of the group on goal difference from the Swiss, the performance was far from convincing.
Worse was to come in the final group match in Belfast. Infused with a combination of hesitancy and listlessness the Azzurri were mediocre against a Northern Irish side which refused to back down. Immobile was absent again as the front three of Insigne, Berardi and Chiesa struggled.
The Juventus winger curled inches wide but despite the introductions of strikers Belotti and Gianluca Scamacca it was a woeful night to forget. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was bailed out by Bonucci after a woeful blunder as Mancini’s side barely avoided a calamitous shock. Regardless the point gained was not enough as Switzerland trounced Bulgaria 4-0 to top the group and gain automatic qualification for Qatar.
The European champions had one shot left in the last chance saloon of the World Cup play-offs. They had to wait until March 2022 to face outsiders North Macedonia in Palermo. The long delay inevitably led to weeks of premature talk of a final showdown against either Portugal or Turkey. Yet old issues remained as North Macedonia improbably sealed a stunning victory.
It was a collective fiasco, yet the same underperforming individuals were at fault. Immobile returned but only mustered one real effort and was starved of service. Berardi contrived to miss an open goal and squandered several other opportunities. A midfield which contained Jorginho, Barella and Marco Verratti provided flashes of inspiration and enthusiasm but were bereft of any real sparkle.
Infiltrated by nervousness and desperation, Gianluca Mancini looked shaky at the back with Chiellini not fit enough to start and Bonucci out. Forwards Raspadori and debutant João Pedro were thrown on as the situation looked increasingly dire. Two minutes into added-on time former Palermo striker Aleksandar Trajkovski unleashed a powerful low drive with the Italy defence asleep. It was one of North Macedonia’s two shots on target, yet it was enough to eliminate the Azzurri from the World Cup. A calamity of seismic proportions.
Despite the spectacular collapse, Mancini retained his job as a coach. The European championship triumph had earned him enough goodwill to stay on even after the unthinkable became a reality. First Russia and now Qatar, another World Cup without the involvement of four-time tournament winners Italy.
Its sucks when you no let people to leave comment