The Italian style of soccer is different than others in that they emphasize a cautious controlled game. Italian teams are careful to commit too many players forward on attack and prefer to use their technical skills and passing abilities to work the ball forward. This careful play style allows them to control the tempo of the game and slow it down and speed it up as they wish. Italian defenders are known to flood their side of the field to pressure and slow down opposition attacks. Playing the ball backwards and frustrating their opponents is not uncommon for these Italian times. Italian soccer can be based on intelligent defending and efficient, calculated attacks on the offensive end. Forwards enjoy making diagonal, indirect runs which are difficult for defenders to expect and play. Though they are not particularly creative or flashy, they are extremely efficient when attacking at calculated ideal moments. These moments of weakness against their opposition are where Italian soccer clubs are able to score. Watching these types of games viewers will not see many fast-paced soccer, but rather methodical defensively heavy strategic games.
References
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“A Different Ball Game.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 22 Sept. 2014, www.economist.com/blogs/gametheory/2014/09/analysing-football-styles.
Skweres, Andrew. “STATS Playing Styles – An Introduction.” STATS, Andrew Skweres Https://Www.stats.com/Wp-Content/Uploads/2016/08/STATS_Logo_FullColor_RGB.Png, 26 May 2017, www.stats.com/industry-analysis-articles/stats-playing-styles-introduction/.
“Soccer Styles of Play.” Soccer Styles of Play, www.soccerhelp.com/terms/soccer-styles-of-play.shtml.
Wendichansky, Nicolas. “6 Very Different Styles of Football From Across the World.” 90min.Com, 28 Feb. 2016, www.90min.com/posts/2990047-6-very-different-styles-of-football-from-across-the-world.
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Author: Jake Seau
How to cite this article: “Italian Playing Style,” Written by Jake Seau (2018) Soccer Politics Pages, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/mens-world-cup-2018-guide/playing-styles-of-world-cup-favorites/regional-playing-styles/italian-playing-style/ (accessed on (date))