Lessons Learned from Italy's Euro 2016 Qualifiers

Two wins, three goals scored and only one—an own goal—conceded, plus all six points: On paper, Italy's two Euro 2016 qualifiers went perfectly.

In reality, however, two underwhelming wins over Group H's bottom teams suggest that Antonio Conte and Italy still have much work to do before they face their real rivals in the tournament in two years' time.

There were some positives to take from the performances—as well as the fact that Italy have yet to lose under their new manager—but questions still remain.

Giorgio Chiellini went from hero to zero and back again in Palermo. The Juve defender scored the opener against Azerbaijan before bundling in an own goal to bring the visitors level, then saved the day by putting another header past Kamran Agayev in the final minutes.

It showed the kind of self-belief and resolve Italy needs and exactly the kind of character that Conte will want from all of his players.

The 30-year-old had a less eventful evening in Malta but put in a fine performance as the confident core of the Azzurri's back line.

Both Ciro Immobile and Simone Zaza were extremely impressive in Italy's matches against the Netherlands and Norway a month ago, but the pair were wasteful against Azerbaijan.

They spurned a slew of chances and failed to find the back of the net in a game that should have been won comfortably, suggesting that they might not be the answer to Italy's prayers up front after all.

Conte's not short of options up front, so if the pair want to hold their places they'll have to do a lot better when called upon again to play together.

Antonio Conte has so far resisted the temptation to call up Mario Balotelli to the Azzurri, but as long as the new-look national side continues to misfire, there'll be room for the Liverpool striker.

Beating Azerbaijan 2-1 in Palermo and struggling to a 1-0 win over Malta in Ta' Qali are not results that will inspire confidence.

Immobile and Zaza have gone off the boil since impressing against the Netherlands and Norway back in September, and Giuseppe Rossi's injury woes mean he's not the ideal candidate for Italy to rely upon even when he does come back.

Southampton's Graziano Pelle carried his club form to international level and scored the winner in his debut against Malta, but the Azzurri will need more options than just one 29-year-old journeyman striker.

The Lecce native—Pelle shares his birthplace with Conte—has the work rate and selfless attitude that the manager seems to favour, but if Balotelli can prove himself at Liverpool and start scoring regularly there's still a place for him with the Nazionale.

Mario will never be a workaholic forward in the mold of Carlos Tevez, but his explosive ability allows him to affect a game like few others when he's in form, so if he can knuckle down and prove he's willing to work, the 24-year-old can still have a big future with Italy.

Cesare Prandelli occasionally flirted with the idea of a three-man defence, but Antonio Conte looks more convinced of its benefits and seems likely to continue with the formation that brought him so much success at Juventus.

Too much is made of "fashionable" formations these days and the strengths and weaknesses of one against another. In reality, the real importance of a team's shape is that it suits the players and the manager's ideas. With Conte and Italy's current crop, the 3-5-2 seems to do just that—assuming they can stop being so profligate in front of goal.

Torino's Matteo Darmian has been one of Italy's most consistent players since earning his first cap in a pre-World Cup friendly against Ireland earlier this year.

The 24-year-old is a hardworking, versatile footballer who contributes at the back and going forward, and he's shown for club and country that he's happy to play in different positions for the good of the team.

For Toro, this season Darmian has played as a wing-back on the left and right, and featured twice further up the field on the left. He played on the flank against Azerbaijan before a surprising move into the centre against Malta, where he was just as solid.

Speaking to Rai Sport after the game (h/t Football Italia), Darmian said:

I am at the disposal of the Coach, so when I am called upon as a winger, a full-back or a centre-back, then I do my best.

We worked on the three-man defence a few times in training after the Azerbaijan game, but I’ve already played in this position earlier in my career, so I do know it well enough.

In all honesty, I only found out today I’d be playing in a three-man defence, but over the last few days I also tried out on the right side of midfield.

The absence of Andrea Pirlo against Malta provided a great opportunity for Marco Verratti to prove himself in the deep-lying playmaker role, but the Paris Saint-Germain man will have to do better to secure a starting place as long as the Juventus master is around.

Verratti controlled Italy's game well enough, and made some defensive contributions, but was unable to show his very best football or find enough space free from markers to express himself properly.

Malta certainly played to smother Italy's creative players and minimise their influence, but at the highest level a player like Verratti must learn to deal with such opposition better.

Speaking to Rai Sport after the game (h/t Football Italia), the 21-year-old admitted that he could have done better but was positive about the result:

We’ve been working with the Coach for only four matches in total, so it is taking time to get to know his football.

The points are important in football, we know that we have to improve, but we can gain confidence from these wins.

I was being man-marked in the first half, while after the break I was given a little more freedom to play the ball. I got a few important passes wrong when I could’ve sent teammates clear on goal, so that was disappointing.

I know that I don’t have a secure spot in the Italy line-up and there are some great players ahead of me, but it is up to the Coach to make his decisions and I am at his disposal.

I doubt any of us are 100 per cent satisfied, but in football when you lose then you’re considered useless and when you win it has to be 6-0. We hit the woodwork four times and got the points, which is what matters.

We certainly wanted to put in a better performance, but nowadays no games are easy. Croatia won 6-0, but Holland lost 2-0 to Iceland and Spain fell against Slovakia. In Italy we are accustomed to being criticised, so we take it and move forward.

The message from the Italy camp after this round of games was clear: The points matter most.

The Azzurri have recorded four victories since the World Cup, which is a huge positive. But the manner in which they won these two games means that plenty of questions still remain about the Nazionale's ability to threathen the game's biggest sides.

Speaking after the Malta game (h/t UEFA.com), Conte said:

We realised our objective, to win, and we are top of the group—just a month and a half after the disastrous World Cup.

Malta played defensively and it was difficult for us to attack. This is a good start, though. Winning four out of four after the World Cup is really good. We should be proud that we are first in the group with Croatia but we can always do better.

Their next game is against the joint Group H leaders Croatia in November. The real state of the Azzurri will be a lot clearer after the clash with Niko Kovac's side.

It's true that the result matters most and that having secured the maximum six points from the games with Azerbaijan and Malta, Italy have done what they set out to do.

It's also true, however, that narrow wins against weaker sides will mean little when Conte and Co. are faced with real opposition. If they're labouring to victory against the two weakest sides in their qualification group, it doesn't bode well for the tournament proper, where they'll face the continent's best teams.

Italy need to do more than win. They need to convince.

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