Conte knows and so do all the players that there is a path to victory over the favorites. They have the strategy, the players in order to do so. The blueprint is there, but having it is one thing, executing it is another. With that being said though, due respect has to be given to the champs, and Conte knows his men will need to sweat blood in order to walk of the pitch as winners.
Nobody even considered Italy as a possible winner and if this match was setup before these Euros, everyone would have assumed a simple Spain victory. But ever since that Belgian victory, Italy have given people a whole new perspective of their chances at these Euros. Now this game against Spain is a toss up, keeping in mind Spain's invincibility has been broken with that loss to Croatia.
The focus for Italy will them being tough to breach and forcing Spain to try and pass through their impenetrable wall. I've always said, it's very hard to pass your way to a goal going up a team that sits back deep defensively and who actually know the art of defending. Italy have been the best defensive team so far and they have the three best center back trio.
So as much as Spain will pass, as long as nobody takes the initiative to try and dribble and take men out of position, Conte will have faith that Italy will be fine. This is not saying Spain have no chance of scoring because let's get real here, they have some of the smartest and most creative midfielders in the world of football. Giving Iniesta too much space without any pressing is a very dangerous game to play.
As much as defending is important for Italy, so is attacking. They need to figure out a way of transitioning from defence to attack and try to exploit the space that Spain will leave. Del Bosque is not going to sit back and defend, he will want his men to dominate possession and push men forward to create enough options to find that goal. That means De Rossi will be very important in where he wins the ball and giving perfect passes to space for Giacherrini and Eder.
The fact that it's a toss up for people as to who will win tomorrow shows the great work Conte has already done with this team. From having no belief when the squad was announced to giving Italians hope that they can get into the quarter-finals shows a big change.
Now they just need to get the job done for real. HH
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