The Italian national team's training camp began on 24 May, four days after the Europa League final.

This is mainly due to the fact that the Italian national team has prepared three warm-up matches before the official start of the World Cup, and the first game against Saudi Arabia is on May 29, so it is important to start training as early as possible.

Although the Champions League final was only played on May 27, what does that have to do with the Italian team?

Real Madrid and Liverpool did not have a single Italy international.

When Pan Yi appeared on the training ground, everyone in the Italian national team was enthusiastic.

The World Cup is just around the corner, this is the ultimate dream of every player, can they not be excited!

And the grouping of this World Cup is actually quite dramatic.

Italy, who are not seeded, have also been drawn in Group F with Germany.

It's actually nothing, after all, you always have to meet a strong team, and you can't expect to be placed in Group A where the host Russia is.

But in the same group, in addition to Mexico from North America, there is also the Dragon Nation team from Asia!

That's kind of interesting.

Everyone knows that Pan Yi has made a great contribution to the Dragon Country team to appear in this year's World Cup, and Pan Yi himself is a Dragon Country person.

Then, now the head coach of the Dragon Country is Italian Lippi, who was once Italy's meritorious coach and led the Italian team to win the 2006 World Cup.

An Italian team led by a head coach of the Dragons played against a team led by an Italian head coach, and then the managers of both sides played for each other in the past......

It's full of topics.

In contrast, Italy's "Axis derby" against Germany is less gimmicky.

However, for Pan Yi, a traverser, this grouping is quite natural.

It's basically the same as in the previous life!

In the 2018 World Cup in his previous life, in Group F were Germany, Mexico, Sweden, and South Korea.

And now that history has changed, under the role of Pan Yi, Italy eliminated Sweden, and Dragon Kingdom eliminated South Korea, and then these two teams naturally replaced Sweden and South Korea, no matter how you look at it, it is very reasonable!

There were no changes to the other groups either.

For example, in Group B, Portugal and Spain will play the Iberian Derby, and then add Morocco and Iran;

Argentina in Group D will face Iceland, Croatia and old rivals Nigeria;

Group G: Belgium and England will also play a "Premier League showdown";

Including the opening match of Group A, which will also be played by Russia against Saudi Arabia, and so on.

And for the players of the Italian national team, being in this group is not a bad signing.

Although the German team is the top team in the world, the momentum has dropped a bit recently, and Pan Yi has also used Sweden to pinch the opponent, and now the Italians are certainly not afraid of them.

Not to mention, there has always been a saying "German" in world football, which means that Germany is going to be ruled by Italians......

Mexico have always been difficult to play with, but this kind of skill flow has a high ceiling and a casual play, and if they limit their play in midfield, they often can't play.

As for the Dragons, this is only their second appearance in the World Cup, and they have not even won a single victory in the history of the main event.

The overall strength of the players of the Dragon Country team is also at the bottom of the group, and under the premise that Pan Yi is not in the Dragon Country team, this team is indeed not to be feared.

But Pan Yi quickly reminded them that no team is easy to mess with in the World Cup, and they must be very energetic!

This is not Pan Yi's alarmism.

Let's talk about the 2018 World Cup Group F in the previous life, who would have thought that the German team would lose to the South Korean team in the end, and the group failed to qualify?

The most typical is the last World Cup, which is the group in which Italy is in, who would have thought that Costa Rica would beat Italy, England, and Uruguay, the three former world champions, and qualify as the group leader?

Football is round, and this is not a casual saying.

"The next training sessions and the three friendlies will be the biggest basis for me to decide the players who will participate in the World Cup! I have always used people only to look at the state and not the fame, as long as you are in good shape, the World Cup squad will definitely have your place, understand? Pan Yi roared loudly on the edge of the training ground.

"Yes, Boss!" The players replied in unison.

This time, the Italian national team arranged three warm-up matches before the official start of the World Cup, in addition to Saudi Arabia, the other two were Argentina and the Netherlands.

This is also a hypothetical rival of the three teams in the group stage, namely teams from Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

And Pan Yi also submitted the list of 23 people to participate in the main competition early.

The goalkeeper trio is still Buffon, Donnarumma and Palin.

The back line is Bonucci, Chiellini, Bastoni, Barzagli, DiMarco, Candreva, Desiglio, Spinazzola, basically a regular combination of four central defenders + four wingbacks, and Darmian unfortunately failed due to the limited number of places.

The midfield six will be Tonali, Barella, De Rossi, Verratti, Jorginho, Parolo.

The six forwards are Scamacca, Balotelli, Insigne, Chiesa, El Shaarawy, and Raspadori, which is also carried out according to the configuration of two central strikers + four wingers.

In general, Pan Yi is selected according to the current conventional 4-3-3 formation of the Italian national team, with one main player and one substitute for each position, and three special goalkeepers.

Theoretically, all 23 of them will go to the World Cup, but there will be variables.

Because there is still a waiting list, if there is any trouble before the start of the World Cup, Pan Yi, as the head coach, still has the right to change the list.

That's why Pan Yi told the players to perform well in training and warm-up games!

Moreover, being selected for the list is the first step, and to really play in the World Cup, you have to play at a better level.

No one wants to participate in the World Cup and end up sitting on the bench, right?

That's why Pan Yi said that to the players on the training ground.

And the players naturally know that Pan Yi's attitude is always serious, and no one dares to be lazy in the national team training.

Who doesn't know that Pan Yi now has absolute authority in the Italian national team?

Who doesn't know that with Pan Yi's current status and temper, he definitely has an iron fist that can block any disobedient player?

Of course, more importantly, this Italian national team is vibrant, strong and energetic!

Since Pan Yi was ordered to lead the half-dead Italy to the World Cup finals, there is a saying - that is, the champion coach Pan Yi is very likely to lead Italy to regain the World Cup championship!

Therefore, the players are also more confident, and they also cherish the opportunity to follow Pan Yi to the World Cup this time.

After all, new players and veterans alike, this time the selection for the national team has a different meaning than before, and they have a good chance to etch their names in the history of Italian football.

Everyone's morale is really not comparable to a few months ago!

And such a situation is exactly what Pan Yi wants to see.

In the first warm-up match on May 29, the Italian players worked hard.

Against Saudi Arabia from Asia, they scored a four-goal victory!

Of course, it's good to win such a game, Pan Yi pays more attention to the next two warm-up games, especially the one against Argentina.

Argentina is the runner-up of the last edition, and in addition to the superstar Messi, there are stars like Dybala, Aguero, Higuain, and Di Maria, and the strength is of course far above Saudi Arabia.

Pan Yi is ready to lead Italy to the championship, of course it is not enough to defeat Saudi Arabia, and Argentina is a good litmus test!

For Argentina, their head coach Sampaoli actually thinks the same way.

Although it was a friendly match, Sampaoli still didn't want to lose the game.

His Argentine team has been described as "top-heavy", meaning that the stars are largely concentrated in midfield and are all attacking.

At the back, he can only rely on the likes of Otamendi and Marcos Rojo, including the likes of Romero and Caballero.

In the position of defensive midfielder, Mascherano has aged and is now going to the Chinese Super League to pan for gold, and the likes of Lanzini, Banega and Biglia are not considered top stars.

In addition, Argentina's performance in the previous international break was also average, so Sampaoli was also under a lot of pressure, and many media and fans thought that the strength of the Argentine team he convened was not as good as the previous one.

If he can defeat Pan Yi's Italy in a friendly match, then his life will be better.

——

On June 2, at the San Siro Stadium, the big battle between Italy and Argentina kicked off.

Pan Yi fielded a 4-3-3 formation in this game.

The goalkeeper is the veteran Buffon, the defenders Candreva, Bastoni, Chiellini and Spinazzola, the midfielders Barella, Verratti, Tonali, and Pan Yi in the front line use the combination of Chiesa Jr., Scamacca and Insigne.

Basically, it's a lineup of main substitutes mixed and matched.

This is mainly because in cup competitions such as the World Cup and the European Cup, it is impossible to use a team of 11 people to play to the end, and each player needs to play his own strength.

In warm-up matches, especially against a strong opponent like Argentina, it is also necessary to run in the various combinations between the players.

There is an obvious example, that is, when Pan Yi himself was leading the Swedish team.

At that time, almost every player in the group of players he brought with him, except for the two substitute goalkeepers, played a role in the journey to win the championship.

It is precisely because of the relatively dense schedule of the tournament system that Pan Yi often rotates the Swedish team in some positions, and the rotation players also complete their tasks well, which makes the entire Swedish team in a very good state and finally wins the championship.

Obviously, Pan Yi wants to replicate this experience in the Italian team.

The 23 players he brought with him really didn't want to go on vacation to Russia!

On the Argentine side, Sampaoli sent what he considered to be the strongest lineup.

Goalkeeper: Willy Caballero.

Defenders: Tagliafico, Rojo, Otamendi, Servi.

Midfielders: Mascherano, Biglia, Di Maria, Messi, Mesa.

Forward: Sergio Aguero.

The official formation looks like a 4-5-1, but Messi and Angel Di Maria are relatively flexible and may often appear as wingers, so it can actually be seen as a 4-3-3.

'Their short forward combination is flexible, but they have a fatal flaw in that they have to hold the ball at their feet before they can be more threatening.

'Argentines don't like to cross down, they don't like to pass high balls, they are better at pushing forward with possession and team-up from the start of midfield.

"They need to break through, they need to get the ball, so we don't give them a chance to play finely! Start strangling from the midfield and take them out with a counterattack! ”

Pan Yi's words in the locker room echoed in the minds of the Italian players.

For this game, they have also understood Pan Yi's main tactic, which is to defend and counterattack.

This is also the tactic that Pan Yi has been practicing more recently.

After all, there is a saying in the football world that it is said that winning a game depends on offense, and winning a championship depends on defense.

Especially in a big tournament like the World Cup, defense always comes first.

And when facing a strong attacking group like Argentina, it is also the best time to practice defending.

Among the opponents in the group stage, whether it is Germany or Mexico, it can be said that they are good attackers, and they both like to keep the ball.

If they can easily deal with Argentina's offensive firepower, it can be said that when it comes to the real World Cup, Pan Yi and his Italian players will be more comfortable.

As for the counterattack, Pan Yi is still very confident in the speed of his wings.

Both Insigne and Chiesa have the ability to quickly tear apart opposition defences, while Scamacca's role in the middle cannot be overlooked.

As for Argentina's back line, to be honest, whether it is Tagliafico or Selve, the two fullbacks, their ability to chase back can only be regarded as average.

As for the two central defenders in the Otamendi and Rojo group, it may be too much to describe them as "colanders", but they are indeed not the kind of defenders who are very stable.

Against such an Argentina, it may only take one or two chances to counterattack......

At the beginning of this game, it was indeed as Pan Yi expected, Argentina quickly pressed the attack against the hosts.

They have never been afraid to play against any team, and even Sampaoli has always felt that Pan Yi will definitely lead Italy to play a hearty battle against them at home.

But they were disappointed.

At the San Siro Stadium, Italy recovered very well, Barella plus Verratti and Tonali, equivalent to the back three in defense, completely blocked the area within 30 meters of the front of the penalty area, making it difficult for Argentina's attack in this place.

Argentina's attacking lineup is small, and such a lineup naturally prefers to play on a wider field with plenty of space for them to pass the ball.

However, with the three Italian midfielders in this area, their attacks simply cannot be carried out smoothly, and the speed advantage of the three strikers is not able to take advantage of it, even if Mascherano passes the ball from behind, it will not be of much use against the entire Italian backline.

Argentina's direct pass was repeatedly destroyed by Italy, and the side attack could only be an itch in the boots, which seemed to vigorously press Italy in his own half and beat it wildly, but there was no actual damage at all.

Seeing that Argentina's wide attack is often passed to the middle and then easily jumped up by the opponent's tall defender and comfortably pushed the ball out, Argentine fans are shaking their heads and lamenting.

There is no way around it.

Sergio Aguero is indeed a world-class striker, and his point-and-shoot around the front is also a must-have in football, but Chiellini and Bastoni worked very well together today, not giving Aguero a chance to grab a point at the low post at all.

And once Argentina plays high, there is no chance...... After all, Aguero is a little more than 1.7 meters tall, which is really not enough compared to the tall Italian defenders.

As for Argentina's other two strikers?

Well, Messi and Di Maria's headers really weren't good either.

While Argentina's attack was repeatedly frustrated, Italy's counter-attacks began to gradually become more and more aggressive.

Verratti and Tonali defended without giving up the chance to counter-attack, and they both had excellent long balls, while Argentina pressed so high that the speed of Insigne and Chiesa Jr. was enough for them to drink.

This practice of hiding behind and putting cold guns is very uncomfortable for Argentina.

After all, Verratti and Tonali are both very far behind the ball, and it is difficult for them to interfere even if they want to.

In the 30th minute, after almost being beaten by Chiesa Jr., Sampaoli yelled for Mascherano and Biglia to move forward and press directly at Verratti and Tonali, including Barella.

Then an Argentine cross was headed out by Chiellini, and after Barella won the ball, Biglia and Mascherano immediately pounced on Barella at the same time.

They got up in time, but Barella was the first to get the ball to Verratti.

Verratti didn't hesitate to poke the ball directly to Tonali in front.

Because of the grabbing of Mascherano and Biglia, there was immediately a blank space in the middle of Argentina, which was originally only three people, and the position of Tonali to receive the ball was in this blank area.

Rojo began to prepare to retreat, but at this point, Otamendi rushed towards Tonali......

"This idiot......" Rojo just cursed in his stomach, after all, this teammate is indeed too reckless sometimes!

But at this time, I saw that Tonali immediately picked up the ball and made a pass!

The ball flew over Otamendi's head and into the Argentine half.

Because he was shaken by Otamendi, Rojo, who was dragged behind, didn't have time to return to the defense, and at this time, two figures in blue Italian jerseys had rushed up from their own half like lightning, and the double ghosts hit the goal!

It was Italy's two strikers, Chiesa Jr. and Insigne!

The ball landed in front of Chiesa, who took a few steps forward and then crossed it.

At this time, another striker, Scamacca, had already arrived!

At this time, Argentina's goalkeeper Caballero could only choose to attack, but Scamacca had already pushed it easily, and the ball rolled into the Argentine goal......

In the 35th minute of the first half, Italy opened the scoring with a lightning-fast counterattack!

1：0！

Pan Yi stood up and applauded with a smile on his face, and in the background was Italian fans waving their arms wildly in the stands.

Defensive counterattack - a simple tactic to say, but no matter how simple a tactic, it has its best points.

It's not just long passes that can complete counterattacks, and the efficiency of that kind of counterattack is often very low, but this kind of counterattack formed by fast ground passes can often kill with one hit!

This goal, from beginning to end, is just one word, that is, "fast"!

Pan Yi is very satisfied with the timing of the pass, the accuracy of the pass, and the efficiency of running without the ball shown by the Italian players in the process of scoring the goal.

Argentina went crazy after conceding the goal, and they launched a more aggressive attack.

However, Italy began to continue to shrink their defense, leaving Argentina with little chance to enter the penalty area, and Argentina had no choice but to continue to attack with long-range shots.

But veteran Gianluigi Buffon, who started today, was very solid, killing Argentina with several high-quality long-range shots.

Even Messi's shot hit Bastoni's body and changed the line, but he still made a second reaction and held up the bottom line with one hand.

Pan Yi was also very happy on the sidelines.

Although he now intends to support Donnarumma to become the main force of the national team, with Buffon's performance, it is equivalent to having double insurance in hand!

And Buffon is still in good shape on the premise of not minding himself to play as a substitute, and he also works hard to help stabilize the locker room.

Before the end of the first half, Italy scored again with a counter-attack.

Chiesa Jr. was brought down by Rojo when he broke through, and Tonali once again extended the score with a wonderful direct free kick, 2:0!

At the start of the second half, there were a number of substitutions on both sides.

Pan Yi has almost changed the starting lineup, and his tactics have changed to an offensive style of play based on ball control.

That's what warm-up matches are all about, it's about practicing all kinds of tactics!

And Sampaoli on the opposite side seems to have figured it out, and he also sent more substitutes, like Dybala and Higuain, but the style of play is still desperately attacking.

In such a back-and-forth game, both sides ended up scoring two goals each in the second half!

Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain scored a goal each, while Balotelli and El Shaarawy scored on Italy.

In the end, Italy won 4:2 against Argentina.

"Pan Yi's transformation of Italy is gradually taking shape, and various tactics are at your fingertips"

After the game, the newspaper "Milan Sport" analysed the victory of this warm-up match and was full of confidence in the upcoming World Cup.

"Pan Yi used two completely different lineups and tactics in the first and second halves, but they both played very good content."

"This shows that the current Italian players have a thorough understanding of Pan Yi's tactics, and every player can play their own things on the field."

"In the World Cup, you have to face all kinds of teams with different styles and different styles of play, and if you just stick to one tactic, you are likely to be targeted."

"But the state of the Italian team, we have reason to believe that they are ready for the World Cup!"

"Five-star Italy? Pan Yi, it's up to you! ”