Europeans, Italy: from Donnarumma to Jorginho. It is the national team of rematches

From our correspondent Stefano Cantalupi

June 13
– FLORENCE

Have fun, convey joy to the fans, put on a show. All right, all beautiful. For many blues, however, this European is not just an opportunity to put into practice the philosophy of coach Roberto Mancini: some more or less, they all have something to prove. Some sporting revenge to take, after going through moments that are not always happy, under a shower of criticism. Tolto Barella, whose young career has always been on the rise without jolts, the other ten men who took the field as starters against Turkey took their places in this national team with some eyebrows raised by skeptics. And if it is true that the road is still very long, the first stage proved Mancini right.

Defence

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We start from Donnarumma. Gigio’s performance with Milan has always been of a high level, but in short, there were those who thought that showing up at Euro2020 as an “unemployed” could take his peace of mind. We will see later: against the Turks he had to perform only in one exit with good timing, nothing more. The blue goalkeeper was protected by two super central players who have been on the scene for a long time. “But how, Bonucci and Chiellini again?”, Muttered the detractors, with the finger pointing at the identity card. Well, Leo and Chiello’s match is summed up in the “five” they gave each other in the middle of the first half, both arriving on the ball to foil a rare opponent’s counterattack: perfect, simply. On their left, Spinazzola. Yes, the one that “always hurts and gives no guarantees of tightness”. Monstrous performance, overflowing from the physical point of view. For Florenzi, on the other side of the department, there will be time to affect the return from the trouble in his right calf: he was growing after some initial shyness, he had to give way to Di Lorenzo.

Midfield

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It has been said about Barella, but for the two teammates in the middle, things have not always gone so well. For a long time Jorginho was considered a functional element exclusively to Sarri’s game, but he was good at putting Dante’s “don’t think about them but watch and pass” into practice. He looked and passed (the ball) great even in blue, after having recovered Chelsea and having celebrated the Champions League with the Blues. As for Locatelli, his satisfactions were already taken away from Sassuolo: having been sacrificed by Milan for budgetary reasons (2018) is a wound that still burns him, but at least he proved his worth to everyone, arriving in the national team. and starting the European Championship as a starter (also due to the absence of Verratti, it must be said).

Attack

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In addition to Locatelli, De Zerbi at Sassuolo has raised the quality of Berardi’s plays, working hard on the mentality of a champion whose technique no one has ever discussed, if anything, his nervousness. “He’s afraid of playing in a big, he’s never ready”, the most recurring phrases addressed to Mimmo. And what’s more “big” than the national team? Protagonist in all three goals against Turkey, even without entering the scorers’ table: et voilà, the gentlemen are served. Together with him, the two lovers of Lino Banfi, the “urchins” Immobile and Insigne, also laugh. But how, Ciro was not supposed to be “the one who scores only in Lazio”? And Lorenzo “the potential champion who never becomes such, because he never leaves his mark in the most important moments of a great tournament”? It’s too early to get excited, it’s true. It takes calm. But if these little-big personal revenge will continue, even better if lived with the lightness of this Florentine-Roman June, then you can really dream of going very far.