Match Analyses: Stadium Municipal, Toulouse, 17.06.2016. 15:00

Referee: Viktor Kassai

Attendance: 29600

ITALY

Coach: Antonio Conte

Playing System: 3-5-2

SWEDEN

Coach: Erik Hamren

Playing System: 4-4-2

Italy Defence

Italy defence 1

Italy have won the opening game against Belgium with a massive 2-0 victory where Italy has outplayed the opponent. Not only was that a great win but everyone was shocked by the way they dominated that game. Conte and his team did a great job.
We can see that on the line-up picture that Italy played in a 3-5-2 formation with two wing backs (Florenzi on the right and Candreva on the left). It was quite unexpected because Italians invented the areal defending system for back fours (Sacchi), but it is used by back fours as it comes from its name. So something had to be changed during this game, but this formation gives them the flexibility to transform into another formation. 
We can see that Florenzi puts pressure on the man on the ball. Usually in soccer, the right midfielder should mark the opponent's left back so there needed to be a transformation. Florenzi became the right midfielder for Italy, while both Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini also changed their original position. This led to an empty area on the far side that is filled up by Candreva (the left wing back). So we can see Italy transformed themselves into a 4-4-2 in defence. 

Italy defence 2

As we can see, Italian midfielders left huge spaces between the lines but fortunately, there were no real Swedish central attacking midfielders to fill up these spaces. Ibrahimovic was the only one stepping back for the ball but he was away from the ball most of the time marked by an Italian player. 
We can also see that Italy dragged back his defensive line and regrouped in their own half ready for defending forward if needed. They were the more patient side.

Italy Attack

Italy didn't have to risk too much as they already had 3 points against the strongest opponent. They stayed patient and played an extremely safe game. They were compact in defence and waited for the perfect opportunity to attack. 
The wing backs had no other job in attack but to give width to the team. As we can see, Swedish players have space between each other because the wide players (full back and wingers) went too wide and left space behind them. This is what Antonio Conte expected and this is why wing backs were important. Swedish players didn't really know who should mark those wing backs and this confused them. 
Finally Italy was better in dealing with the pressure. It was a mental difference between the two sides. They scored after a throw-in situation where the opponent forgot about Éder who did an excellent job dribbling through the players and finishing.
 

Sweden Attack

Sweden attack 1

There were some disadvantages of the Italian defensive system. One can be seen on the picture above that there is a huge space between the lines unmarked. This is why the defensive midfielders were invented to cover this space. Another disadvantage was that the midfield three (Parolo, De Rossi and Giaccherini) had to run so much.
The idea was to outrun the opposition after the Swedish staff realised that Italian central midfielders mark the full backs. This is why Parolo and Giaccherini had to run 25-30 meters to get to the opponent. Italian wingbacks stayed back so there was a huge overload in the Italian's half. 

Sweden attack 2

As Sweden tried to outrun the opponent by keeping possession and constantly changing the point of attack, they waited for the perfect moment to play a through ball behind the tired midfield. Ibrahimovic was the one who stepped back for the ball while there should be another player running behind the defence to force the defender to make a decision who to go with. Ibrahimovic often got the ball in this area but couldn't turn and dribble.
 

Summary

Italy did a great job in defence. People might say teams can't control the game without the ball, but it was shown amazingly that it is possible. Organisation is key for this game to play. The Italian midfield has stamina and they did everything to stay compact. Éder shown that every team should count with him when making a plan against Italy. 
In the second half as Conte's staff realised the possibilities of scoring a goal, Italy could make a change. Parolo got in the box more times in the second half and also they tried the same long balls as they did against Belgium in the first match. Swedish players though were prepared for those. Italy couldn't play the ball to the wing backs fast enough and this led to more possession and patience from the Italian side. 
Sweden couldn't do too much against this Italian side. Ibrahimovic was taken off the game by the Italians. He often stepped back into a deep organiser position but couldn't dribble as they were always outnumbered in the Italian's half.
Italy has great chances in the future as they have a strong, coherent team.