How a goal-crazy weekend in Serie A exposed the myth of Italian defensive football

Published 12:54 01/11/11

For the new season, MirrorFootball is teaming up with some of the blogosphere's best new writers to bring you even more great football reads every single day.

Today it's our new Serie A blogger, footballitaliano.co.uk 's Mina Rzouki, with her take on the week's big issues in Italy.

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If there was a football hell, then Serie A would be languishing in the fiery pits below, condemned for killing the beauty of attacking football as it indulges in its negative conservatism. Or at least that is what people would have you believe.

Cynical tactics have long been the foundation of Italian football according to the many pundits who will heartily regurgitate the same old stereotypical drivel when quizzed about Serie A. Weekends such as the one two weeks ago in which the league produced five 0-0 scorelines only served to perpetuate the ageing myth that calcio thrives on catenaccio.

Italians only know how to defend? If only…

This weekend proved that very few clubs in Serie A are well versed in the art of defending as games were riddled with defensive mistakes and individual errors to make for exciting, but at times poor, football. Whilst this weekend served to highlight the frailties of several back-lines it also exposed the work of several Sporting Directors who focused on purchasing attacking and creative talent at the expense of having a solid back-line.

Unfortunately, solid defences are what win you titles. No one realised that more than Roma this weekend. Despite boasting better possession and more shots on target, they still were left empty handed as a clinical Milan side beat them 3-2 in a thrilling game.

To put things into perspective, Alessandro Nesta, the elegant centre-back who hasn’t scored for nearly two years, managed to overcome Roma’s sorry defence as he headed in Milan’s second of the day. In fact every one of the Rossoneri’s goals in that match came via a header.

Poor in set pieces, Roma’s back-line is often caught under increasing amount of pressure due to the little support it receives from midfield. Moreover, attacking players such as Bojan Krkic and Erik Lamela often fail to contribute defensively when they ought to be pressing the opponent in a bid to act as the first line of defence. Even goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg conceded that he must learn the Italian language so that he can better communicate with the team – one would imagine so that he could better organise his defence.

Poor positioning meant that gaping holes were there to be exploited by Milan’s creative players but whilst tactics play a large role for the problems the Giallorossi suffer defensively, it must also be noted that too much emphasis was put on purchasing attacking players and not enough time was spent in assembling a sturdy back-line over the summer. Juan is no longer capable of maintaining his form throughout the match; Simon Kjær is a unique combination of poor judgement and genius movement whilst Gabriel Heinze can often be found guilty of silly decisions.

Milan themselves were barely able to hold onto their narrow lead as their back-line struggled to battle against the ravenous attacks of the Roman strike force. Unable to contain the piercing runs of the Roma full-backs and overwhelmed in midfield, it came as no surprise when the home side drew level after only ten minutes. Even less surprising was that Milan had conceded yet again from a set piece.

In the hotly anticipated Derby d’Italia, two of Italy’s fiercest rivals were pitted against one another in a match that was made exciting only on account of woeful defending as poor positioning and high lines exposed both sides’ weaknesses.

Played in the cauldron of suspense that is the San Siro, tactical discipline was an afterthought for an Inter side that saw the energetic rhythm of Juve’s play overcome its fragile back-line. Losing the battle in midfield, Inter’s old age left them exposed as they attempted in vain to contain the pressure.

Whilst the likes of Douglas Maicon performed admirably well in the attacking phase of the game, his marauding runs forwards left space at the back for the mobile Alessandro Matri to exploit. A player with a profound appreciation for space, the Juventus striker orchestrated many of his team’s attacking moves, whilst his superb ball control saw him lose the ball only once.

As for star centre-back Lucio, the Brazilian put in a Jekyll and Hyde performance, combining superb clearances with woeful positioning to make it glaringly obvious that Inter’s leaky defence - one that has conceded 16 goals in nine games - needs to be revamped. Cristian Chivu has lost the very qualities that landed him a move to the Nerazzurri, Yuto Nagatomo struggles to maintain concentration and Ivan Cordoba is too old.

Even with all their youthful brilliance, Juventus suffered heavily against Inter’s ageing stars in the first half as Giorgio Chiellini once again looked intimidated in his left-back role. Unable to contain Maicon’s runs forward, Coach Antonio Conte was forced to move Simone Pepe from right to left so that he may help to stifle Maicon’s attacking intent.

Once again, the summer transfer market saw Juve concentrate on purchasing an excessive amount of wingers whilst only one full-back was brought in to resolve their defensive crisis. As for Inter, they hardly renewed their team at all, despite conceding an abysmal amount of goals under Leonardo last season.

Elsewhere, Cesena were forced to sack Coach Marco Giampaolo who only managed to collect three points in nine games despite their summer spending. Whilst Cesena’s impotent attack was thought to be the club’s biggest problem, Giampaolo’s tactics saw his wing-backs rarely track back to contribute defensively whilst the midfield were often caught too far up the pitch when possession was lost. Essentially, their poor defence aided the side’s demise as they now set about searching for a replacement tactician.

Discard the many clichés. Serie A’s attacking line-ups continue to entertain by playing with conviction and style to overwhelm the many poor defences. Whilst goals are always desired, one can’t help but reminisce about the time Italians knew how to properly defend.

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Follow Mina Rzouki on Twitter @Minarzouki and at footballitaliano.co.uk

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