5 Ways Antonio Conte Has Revolutionised the Italian National Team
New coach Antonio Conte has tried to revolutionize the Italian national team since his appointment only a few months ago.
The Azzurri have picked up six points from their first two matches in the Euro 2016 qualification stage, having beaten Norway by a 2-0 margin, then the most recent victory against Azerbaijan, which ended in a 2-1 scoreline.
After Italy flamed out of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, a change was needed and Cesare Prandelli resigned, allowing Conte to leave his gig with Juventus to pursue a more relaxed role with Italy.
Here are five ways in which Conte has tried changing the national side to his image.
Wanting Balotelli to Prove His Worth
While Mario Balotelli was the unquestioned starter under Prandelli, Antonio Conte has had a different mind on the issue.
Conte hasn't called up Balotelli yet since his tenure with Italy began, insisting on other options such as Simone Zaza and even Graziano Pelle.
Balotelli didn't have an impressive World Cup, even though he was unfairly labeled as the scapegoat when there were plenty of other problems surrounding the squad.
Conte loves strikers with an excellent work rate, and Balotelli hasn't shown that side to his game along with his inconsistent scoring on the club level.
Change of Formation
While Cesare Prandelli only flirted with the idea of a 3-5-2, opting primarily to go with a variant of the 4-3-3 for the majority of this calendar year, Antonio Conte has cemented down his favored formation.
After all, Conte won three straight Scudetti with this blueprint and even guided Juventus to a near historic 49-match undefeated streak in Serie A.
Using some of the players he knew well from Juventus, Conte has reverted back to this tactical setup. Interestingly enough, it's a formation which never gave the coach too many joys in Europe even though it worked so well domestically.
Not Being Afraid to Launch Youngsters
With a new coach come new call-ups, and many of these fresh arrivals to the national side will be wanting to prove their worth so they can stick around for the entirety of the qualification stages and beyond.
Conte has given a chance to the 23-year-old striker Simone Zaza, who has scored 10 times for Sassuolo in the top flight since their promotion last season. He's hard-working up top and very physical when he has possession.
Other than Zaza, watch out for Graziano Pelle. The Southampton striker has transplanted his ability beautifully from the Dutch Eredivise, where he terrorized the league at Feyenoord. Coach Ronald Koeman decided to bring Pelle along with him to the Premier League, and he's done wonderfully so far.
A More Direct Approach
Italy has looked much more direct under Antonio Conte.
For a side that often looked unsure in possession, especially at the World Cup, this new strategy has made Italy look very dangerous.
The midfielders always look for the deep ball to one of the strikers who play off the shoulder of the defense.
The wing-backs do a lot of running down the flanks and the team plays very physically, always maintaining high pressure to stifle the opposition and limit their possession.
With Conte overloading the midfield by using five players, Italy have proven to be very tough to break down in their own half so far.
Familiarity and Chemistry
Seven Juventus players were called up for the latest Euro qualifying matches, unsurprising given Antonio Conte's past, also considering the fact that the Bianconeri have had the best Italian players in Serie A for quite some time.
The element of familiarity is undoubtedly a major one. Chemistry is already there given the past and how much some of the players know Conte's system inside out.
With Conte using the Juventus spine as a central part of his setup, fluidity is never lacking and familiarity is always there.
Not only this, but many Bianconeri players made it clear that they enjoyed playing for Conte. Paul Pogba told beIN Sports USA reporters on a broadcast last year that he couldn't see himself being coached by anyone else.