By Oluwamayomikun Orekoya
Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr believes the right balance of youth and experience were key factors in Italy’s Euro 2020 title run.
The German coach hailed the leadership qualities of central defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci and the vibrant, fleet-footed Federico Chiesa as instrumental in the Azzuris first European title since 1968.
Italy won the European Championship for the second time by beating England 3-2 on penalties on Sunday. The match finished 1-1 after extra time at Wembley Stadium, which was filled mostly with English fans hoping to celebrate the team’s first international trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
“The experience of Chiellini and Bonucci helped a lot to win the cup,” Rohr told NationSport yesterday. “The right balance between young and dynamic and matured older players is positive. Mancini built a great team unbeaten in 34 games!”
The former Bayern Munich defender was impressed by the quality of play at this year’s edition, adding that the best team throughout the month-long tournament won the title but expressed his disappointment with the antics of the England fans.
“The best team won it,” he said. “We saw a lot of nice goals, much more than in the last edition. 11 own goals also; it was good to see the crowd in the stadiums. But the attitude of the English fans was disappointing.”
The former Bordeaux coach was surprised with the choice of England manager Gareth Southgate substitutions towards the dying moments of the match.
“The best teams are able to change systems, tactical intelligence to adapt to different situation,” he noted, “But the surprising substitutions for England in the end of the final with young players who took the decisive penalties.”
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