Italy Needs Federico Chiesa Fit And Healthy

Italy can breathe a huge sigh of relief, for now.

Gli Azzurri went into last night’s game against North Macedonia knowing there couldn’t be any further slip-ups. Two defeats to England and a draw away to Macedonia meant that with Ukraine now above the reigning European champions in the Group C standings, Italy simply had to win at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome if they were to stand any chance of qualifying for a tournament they won merely two years ago.

These two sides produced a 1-1 draw in Skopje two months ago. It was Luciano Spalletti’s debut but the residue from the Roberto Mancini era was on full display. 10 weeks later and this felt like a very different Italy: a more vibrant, more attacking, more purposeful Italian side, similar to the one that triumphed at Euro 2020 under Mancini.

It’s still early days in the Spalletti reign, but there’s a clear optimism and a collective freedom about the Azzurri that was missing from the dying days of the Mancini era. Moreover, there’s a freedom from some of the players who operate differently for their club sides. Following the game, Stephan El Shaarawy, who came off the bench to score the fifth goal for Italy on the night, commented that he ‘plays closer to goal’ with Italy than at Roma under Jose Mourinho. Federico Chiesa, the undoubted star of the show and by far Spalletti’s best attacking option, perhaps showed why he has been reportedly been at odds with his coach at club level, Max Allegri, over Juventus’ style of play.

In his post-match interview, Chiesa remarked: “The 20 minute blackout [when North Macedonia scored twice] we had? I didn’t see that, conceding goals happens. This is the beauty, sometimes, of wanting to play proactive football. We showed we want to dominate the game”

Not shackled to tactical discipline by Spalletti in the way he is by Allegri at Juve, Chiesa is a different animal in the Italian blue. Chiesa scored twice against Macedonia, his first a rip-roarer of a shot from outside the area that arrowed into the bottom corner. His second was classic Chiesa, latching on to a splendid Domenico Berardi through ball down the left-hand channel at lightning pace, Chiesa was faced by Jovan Manev on the periphery of the box, Chiesa shifted himself to the right before bending his shot, deflecting off Manev’s boot and landing into the top corner.

Chiesa’s performance was full of praise in the Italian press this morning. La Gazzetta dello Sport handed the 26-year-old an eight mark out of 10; while Corriere dello Sport gave him 7.5.

Following his ACL injury at the beginning of 2022, many wondered whether Chiesa would ever return to being the swashbuckling winger that illuminated Euro 2020. It’s taken a long time to return for the old Chiesa to reemerge, as it often does with ACL injuries, but it’s clear now that he’s Spalletti’s best option in attack. If Italy are to win against Ukraine in Germany and secure their passage to Euro 2024, then they need Chiesa to repeat his Macedonia performance.

Moreover, if Italy are going to have any realistic chance of respectfully defending their crown at the tournament in Germany in seven months’ time, then Chiesa needs to be in top form. It’s clear Spalletti needs to build the team around the former Fiorentina star and, unlike Allegri, keep him as close to goal as possible. Chiesa is the only Italian attacker with the pace to burn opposing players, and in a modern game that prioritises pace above all else, Chiesa needs to be healthy and in form.

If Spalletti can do that, then Italy will do okay next summer, and the pessimism that surrounded the Azzurri only six months ago will be washed away. But first, qualification on Monday needs to be secured.