Vialli makes case for Italy defence

Former Italy international Gianluca Vialli insists the national side can be confident in their defensive abilities at Euro 2016 but admitted to concerns over their attack.

The Azzurri, who are priced at 17.00 to win Euro 2016, have been drawn in Group E alongside Belgium, Republic of Ireland and Sweden and their path to the knockout stages looks tough.

However, Vialli believes that Italy can rely on their defensive attributes to get them through with plenty of experience to boast. Antonio Conte has the likes of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci in his backline, while Gianluigi Buffon remains one of the most highly regarded stoppers in European football.

Vialli expects that Conte’s tactical knowledge teamed with his reliable defensive third stands Italy in a strong position to go far.

“I think we have a very good manager, which is a very good start,” Vialli said. “We have a very united group of players. It’s quite rare to be able to reproduce the same atmosphere and brotherhood and spirit at the national team, but they will play with pride and I’m sure they will play with humility. “On paper we don’t look like a great side, but from the waist down we are probably the best team at the Euros. We’ve got Buffon, three formidable defenders and we will defend as a team, so I think we will concede very few goals.”

The former Chelsea man, however, admitted that they are lacking in attack and believes they must step up in that area. He added: “Up front is where we need to step up to the next level. “We’ve got a variety of goof players, but we need at least one of them to use this championship to establish himself as a champion and a top class player.”

“So whether it’s Simone Zaza, Graziano Pelle, or Eder, I think we need one striker to score a lot of goals and win games for us. “We might suffer a bit from the fact that all the strikers in Serie A are foreigners. So, very few Italians get the possibility to play regularly for the top clubs, to make mistakes, to learn, improve, establish themselves and gain confidence to be able to play as well when they play for the national team.”