In the bunker of the Hemberg stadium, wrapped in tarpaulins and in extreme confidentiality, Spalletti covered the tests. Two pieces of certain news in a sea of puzzles. Barella has returned to training in the group and seems to be on his way to full recovery, he’s almost ready, maybe he can bypass Cristante. The possibilities are increasing. Calafiori, for the second day in a row, was tested in defense to complete the package with Bastoni and Di Lorenzo. The Bologna centre-back, in training open to the public, was “tested” in midfield. The coach has been thinking about it since the end of March, when he asked Nunziata to try him on the midline with the Under 21s. He is looking for a defender who is used to going up and playing, as happens with the English Stones, often advanced by Guardiola in Manchester City. The model he is working on is almost the same: three defenders, two midfielders, flexible formation. When one of the central defenders advances, the left midfielder is pushed further forward into the “half spaces”. The little game would be better if Calafiori dropped out to join Jorginho and “freed” Barella for insertion, more suited to the tasks than Cristante. It is no coincidence that the coach, speaking of the number 10, had approached the Inter fan to Pellegrini. One does not exclude the other, but the anti-Albania formation is an inextricable maze.
Spalletti’s rotations
Since the end of May, Spalletti has tried everything, even the four-man defensive phase, because Albania plays with just one central striker and cannot be granted superiority in the middle, but after the Bologna test (4-2-3-1) has veered decisively towards 3-4-2-1. There’s no going wrong in the news, it’s a sentence. The “three and a half” defense it is a plausible hypothesis awaiting confirmation. Calafiori’s adaptability to the dual function (central defender and added midfielder) would perhaps allow Spalletti to find the right balance. There remain some points to clarify: who will take Acerbi’s place? In the last two days Bastoni’s candidacy has emerged as a central (not centre-left) candidate. Calafiori seems to be overtaking Buongiorno and Mancini. Di Lorenzo (or Darmian) would close the zip. To move to four, another defender is missing.
