Who Is Gennaro Gattuso? How Can His Tactics Transform Italy?

The big news coming out of the Italian football scene is that Gennaro Gattuso is poised to take up the role of the new Italy National Football Team head coach. The 47-year-old will be replacing the recently departed Luciano Spaletti and will initially be tasked with helping Italy qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Gattuso, who gained a fierce reputation as a no-nonsense player for AC Milan, has transformed into a smart manager who can help bring a lot of positive changes for the Azzurri.

Gennaro Gattuso Tactics & Style Of Play

Gennaro Gattuso tactics can be beneficial for Italy. Gattuso has proven himself as a mature manager who is quite strict with how he wants his players to operate on the pitch. He opts for a more possession-heavy style, urging his players to hold onto the ball and pass it forward efficiently. Over the years, the Italian gaffer has shown a reliance on playing the 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formations with the teams that he has managed, something that allows his team a lot of balance and control of the ball.

Gennaro Gattuso Formation

If one has seen Gattuso’s teams over the years, they might’ve seen the discipline and high energy levels with which they operate to keep the possession-heavy style going. His sides are normally very compact and fluid with their passing style, and he loves to use a creative no.10 to dictate things in the opposition half and play a free role in the key areas too. The 47-year-old is determined for his side to maintain a balance in their shape and be especially alert on the defensive transitions, urging his players to be proactive defensively. Let’s take a look at Gennaro Gattuso formation.

• Back four defense: Gattuso has mostly stuck with a four-at-the-back formation that helps bring a compactness to his team’s shape. He likes his defenders to be composed and not overcommit to challenges, urging them to drop deep to frustrate opposition players.
• Defensive full-backs: The Italian gaffer likes his full-backs to be less adventurous to ensure that his side cannot be compromised on the counter-attacks. He urges his full-backs to only make overlapping runs when there are enough players to cover for them in the wide areas.
• Midfield control: Gattuso likes to play with three midfielders and relies on possession control based on the operation of the midfield players. He likes his side to be disciplined and patient with their build-up play, wanting his players to move the ball up from the defensive line, and his midfielders to be crucial in breaking the opposition’s defensive line.
• Attacking dynamics: The 47-year-old has sometimes attracted criticism for being overreliant on the quality of his attacking players. He gives utmost freedom to his forwards, allowing the wingers to move in from wide areas to the central channels to overload the box and also rely on cross deliveries from wide areas to create chances. He likes his forward to be smart with their link-up play and a real fox in the box to finish off chances emphatically.

Pressing and Transition: Gattuso is not that obsessed with his players being ‘pressing machines’ and hounding oppositions to regain possession whenever they lose the ball. He likes his side to maintain a defensive compactness and does not employ an aggressive counter-press.

He only likes to play a mid-press for his players to be aggressive to regain possession in the midfield and likes his side to sit back and let the opposition dictate play in their defensive third rather than energetically look to regain possession. However, he likes his side to regain possession in key midfield positions to bomb forward on counter-attacks and create major goalscoring chances.

Consistency at club level: The Italian gaffer has shown his desire to stick to his footballing philosophy and play a four-at-the-back formation at each of the clubs he’s managed so far. He pushes for positional dominance, his players being sharp and precise with their passing ability, and for them to maintain a rigid defensive shape and keep utmost discipline in the key areas of the pitch.

Key Tactical Trait

Possessional dominance: Gattuso has shown a desire for his side to dominate possession and be smart in moving the ball around to frustrate oppositions and drain their energy levels, training his players to be press resistant and confident enough to move the ball around efficiently.

Overloading attacking areas: The Italian gaffer trains his players to be able to beat the opposition press smartly and overload the key attacking areas of the opposition. He often employs as many as six players to hound the opposition defenders by darting into their half, ensuring that there are enough numbers in and around the box to get at the end of chances.

Old-school defensive style: For Gattuso, it’s important to maintain utmost defensive cohesion and for his players to keep a sturdy structure when defending. He does not employ a high pressing style and likes his players to be patient in winning back the ball and then hitting the opponents with counter-attacks.

Attacking freedom: Gattuso has shown enough courage to give his key attacking players freedom to roam around and switch positions in the attacking third. He gives leeway for his attacking midfielder to roam around wherever they please to create chances and for his wingers to often drift centrally to get to the end of goalscoring chances.

Gennaro Gattuso Trophies and Achievements

As a player, Gattuso was fortunate enough to win a barrage of titles, which included the FIFA World Cup, two Serie A trophies, and the UEFA Champions League! However, his stint as a manager has not been that rewarding as of yet. He has managed teams like AC Milan, Napoli, Valencia, and Marseille, but the 47-year-old is yet to win any major trophies in his career.

Is Gennaro Gattuso The Ideal Fit For Italy?

The Italian National Football team has struggled to impress against prominent opposition over the last few months. They have lacked any kind of defensive resolve, conceding 11 goals in their final four matches under Spaletti. In that sense, Gattuso can come aboard and add more sturdiness to their defensive shape by making them more compact and disciplined defensively.

Moreover, he will also benefit the players with prolific passing efficiency because of his possession-heavy philosophy and urge his defenders to be calm but efficient in moving the ball around smartly. He will have a plethora of talented options at his disposal, and the likes of Sandro Tonali, Nicolo Barella, Giacomo Raspadori, and Mateo Retegui can particularly excel under him.

How Gennaro Gattuso Tactics Could Work

• Ideal midfield candidates: As the Italian coach loves for his side to dominate possession, he could get the perfect tools for the job. The likes of Tonali, Barella, and even Manuel Locatelli are all perfect in terms of regaining possession and also moving the ball around sharply.
• Fluid frontline: The 47-year-old will also be getting to work with some quick and incisive forwards like Retegui and Raspadori, who can excel in his free-flowing attacking style. They can benefit from the freedom he gives forwards and also cause havoc on counterattacks.
• Defensive options: It’s no secret that Gattuso will be tasked to help Italy become a defensive powerhouse and a stubborn side to play against. He will have a lot of quality defenders to work with, as the likes of Riccardo Calafiori and Alessandro Bastoni are especially impressive with their ball-playing qualities too.

Challenges Ahead

Defensive adjustments: Gattuso is likely to employ a four-at-the-back formation for Italy, and he will need to smartly pick the ideal players for that shape. He will need to find the perfect combination of smart defenders who won’t aggressively overcommit to challenges, but can be proactive in winning the ball in key areas to ruin attacking moves.

Striker search: The 47-year-old will need to work hard to identify the perfect candidate to play up front for his side. He will have several options at his disposal, but needs a clinical No. 9 who can finish off opportunities and add that cutting edge to Italy’s frontline.

How Can Italy National Football Team Lineup Under Gennaro Gattuso?

Player Roles Explained:

• Goalkeeper: (Gianluigi Donnarumma): The PSG man is a brilliant shot-stopper and is also pretty good in moving the ball forward, making him the go-to goalkeeper for Gattuso.
• Centre-backs: Federico Gatti and Alessandro Bastoni have both impressed at the club level. They are both sturdy defenders who are smart enough to win battles in their box and not make silly errors, making them ideal for Gattuso.
• Full-backs: Giovanni di Lorenzo already played under Gattuso at Napoli and knows his style perfectly. Riccardo Calafiori might be preferred to Destiny Udogie because of his passing prowess, defensive resolve, and ability to score goals from set-pieces.
• Midfield: Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Barella are both energetic and disciplined midfielders who have the technical qualities to help Italy dominate possession under Gattuso.
• Attacking Midfield: Giacomo Raspadori looks the perfect candidate for this because of his creative qualities and ability to score crucial goals.
• Wingers: Riccardo Orsolini is a nice fit for the right wing role because of his unpredictable style. Federico Di Marco might be moved to the left wing because of his crossing qualities and to add more defensive resolve.
• Forward: Mateo Retegui seems the ideal option for now, being a clinical forward with a variety of finishing qualities.

Tactical Flexibility

Gattuso might be clear with his playing philosophy, but he isn’t stubborn enough not to make changes when required. He might even revert to a 3-at-the-back formation if necessary for some games. Gattuso has also shown a desire to help his players up the tempo in terms of their high pressing against vulnerable teams to help them dominate battles.

Areas of Improvement

• Italy needs more compactness at the back and for players to be perfect with their positioning to stop leaking goals.
• The midfield needs more energy and support to help employ his possession-heavy style.
• More support is needed for the attacking players to help them take the fight to the defenders.

Verdict

Gennaro Gattuso is returning to Italian football after a four-year absence and has a huge challenge ahead of himself as Italy’s boss. He should help make them a sturdier unit, which will be a harder nut to crack down on, and help Italy develop a possession-heavy style. He will need to identify the perfect personnel for his system to implement his tactics perfectly to bring major changes to the Italian side.