by Genevieve Henry (12/7/23)
Above: Italy celebrate their qualification after edging out Switzerland for an automatic spot at the World Cup. Photo: FIFA.
The Italian Women’s National Team, known as Le Azzure (The Blues) are a rising team in the world of women’s football. They have always been a steadily growing team on the European stage, but have yet to make a real impression at a World Cup. They will aim to go one step further than their 2019 Quarter Final exit this summer.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Rachele Baldi (Fiorentina), Francesca Durante (Inter), Laura Giuliani (Milan).
Defenders: Elisa Bartoli (Roma), Lisa Boattin (Juventus), Lucia Di Guglielmo (Roma), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elena Linari (Roma), Benedetta Orsi (Sassuolo), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus).
Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Juventus), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus), Giulia Dragoni (Barcelona), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Giada Greggi (Roma), Emma Severini (Fiorentina).
Forwards: Chiara Beccari (Juventus), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus), Sofia Cantore (Juventus), Valentina Giacinti (Roma), Cristiana Girelli (Juventus), Benedetta Glionna (Roma), Annamaria Serturini (Roma).
Head Coach
Under the management of the remarkable Milena Bertolini, this team has continued to raise its status in the sport. Bertolini has a long history of playing and coaching in Italy and she has a high level of familiarity with many of her players. In Serie A Femminile, she has won the prestigious Panchina d’Oro, given to the coach of the season, on six occasions for two different clubs. Bertolini also led them to qualify for their first World Cup in 20 years after she was appointed in 2017. She is an asset to her team and her country, as a member of the Italian Football Hall of Fame, Bertolini is important to this team.
How they qualified
Italy qualified after topping Europe’s qualifying Group G. They won nine of the 10 matches in a tense battle with Switzerland to grab the automatic qualification spot. Italy’s 1-0 win over the Swiss in Thun was decisive.
Key Players
Le Azzure are a team with standout players all over the pitch. Starting in the back, Elena Linari is a strong centre-back who has helped to lead her club team, Roma, to glory. She was absolutely excellent and vital for the team to win their first Serie A title. Linari has been playing for her country for 10 years and will hope to achieve even more this summer to make her year even more spectacular.
Moving up, Arianna Caruso is a magician in the midfield, having scored 10 goals in just 22 appearances for her country. The 23-year-old is the youngest woman to make 100 appearances for Juventus. With lightning pace and the ability to play out wide, she could very well be the key for Le Azzure this summer. She has so much potential and she could very well begin to shine even brighter in Australia and New Zealand at the 2023 World Cup.
Up front, Cristiana Girelli is one of the best players in Italian history. She was recently inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame, alongside Bertolini, which just shows the impact she has had on the game in a country still developing their women’s football culture, community, and conditions. Girelli has appeared just over 100 times for her country, and in those appearances, she has scored 53 goals. She has World Cup experience, scoring a hat trick against Jamaica in the 2019 edition.
One to watch
Italy hosts some of the most promising names in football. One special talent is Giulia Dragoni a 16-year-old midfielder who made history by being the first-ever female player from outside of Spain to train and live at Barcelona academy La Masia. Dragoni could be one of the youngest players in the whole tournament and will use this opportunity to soak in the knowledge and experience of all the talented players around her, as well as hone her abilities. She has the world at her feet. What can she take from this World Cup opportunity?
Strengths
Italy has a rigid defensive line, rarely allowing easy balls to get through and working hard against all the world’s best strikers. They are a team that can excel on and off the ball, pressing high and finding themselves in good positions.
Development Areas
They struggle with consistency and tournament football. They finished at the bottom of their group at Euro 2022 in a group they should have easily been able to make it out of, comparing the resources and player pool at their disposal.
Success would be
Milena Bertolini has said that they just aim to get out of the group stage, but they would be hungry for more than that. They have made it to the quarter-finals in the past and will know they have what it takes to reach that stage.
Prediction
Round of Sixteen. They could do better, but with the mentality of just making it out of the group, that very well could be all they can achieve. The other teams around them may prove to be stronger and more experienced.
Group G Fixtures
24th July – Argentina, Eden Park, Auckland.
29th July – Sweden, Sky Stadium, Wellington.
2nd August – South Africa, Sky Stadium, Wellington.
To read the other World Cup nation previews published so far, click on this link: https://impetusfootball.org/international-football/
Follow Impetus on social media – we’re @ImpetusFootball on Threads, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. DON’T MISS our brand new TikTok platform @ImpetusFootball too!
impetusfootball.org 