Conte will bring the 3-4-3 to Naples: goodbye to ball possession, he breaks with the past (Corbo)

Conte will bring the 3-4-3 to Naples: goodbye to ball possession, a break with the past. Antonio Corbo writes it in the Neapolitan edition of Repubblica.

Modernity indicates new trends: abandon ball possession (dear to Sarri who made it an admirable dogma) to create lightning-fast spaces behind rival defenders.

Conte is in perfect line with the expected 3-4-3. He will be in the wake of Inter and Atalanta. The game evolves and even Pep Guardiola escaped from stagnation, ten years have passed since Barcelona’s 4-3-3.

The moment of football in Italy as in Europe offers Antonio Conte an opportunity. Breaking with the past in Naples.

A radical metamorphosis in lifestyle, management and play.

The admiration for Sarri and then for Spalletti has left only great praise but barely a championship in a total of six years of rigor and severe preparation. A different cycle opens in the twentieth year of De Laurentiis’ presidency: an attractive team in pragmatism.

Not just Conte, even Spain has changed its identity: goodbye to exasperated ball possession, more quick verticalisations and long balls (L’Equipe)

The last time Spain won with less ball possession than their opponent was 2008. L’Equipe remembers it well, “Sergio Ramos was still playing right back and Gerard Piqué wasn’t even called up. Sixteen years ago, in the final won against Germany (1-0)“. The Red Furies recorded ball possession of 46%. Then came the World Cup and the following European Championships. But those trophies arrived with a precise, unquestionable and non-negotiable idea of ​​the game. Today, after watching Spain-Croatia, that idea seems to have vanished,

“A year and a half ago, his 77% ball possession and over 1,000 passes against Morocco in the World Cup round of 16 symbolized an identity pushed to the point of caricature. On Saturday in Berlin, the Spaniards showed a different face against Croatia (3-0). La Roja already had less ball possession before Alvaro Morata’s first goal (29th)“. Today more speed and verticalizations.

It took Spain just over four seconds to put Morata on target

De la Fuente is risking a different type of football at Euro 2024. Innovative in some ways in Spain. Against Croatia they “accepted the risk of playing faster“. No more melina waiting (and hoping) to put your opponent to sleep. “The first goal came from a long through ball from Fabian Ruiz towards Morata, Spain had the ball in their own half for just four seconds. The second goal concludes an action triggered by a diagonal from Fabian Ruiz himself, in depth, towards Lamine Yamal after just two passes. Goalkeeper Unai Simon has increased his long pass rate by 350% since the last World Cup, even if it means passing the ball back to opponents“.

In short, no more exasperated ball possession. “The idea of ​​Spain is no longer to control everyone’s pace and position at all costs.” Spain is certainly not the favorite for this European Championship but “at least they have become one of the most interesting teams“.

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