A wasteful Italy side dropped another attainable two points as they drew against their Polish hosts in the third round of Group A from the UEFA Nations League. The Azzurri dominated most of the encounter – especially in the first half – but only managed 2 shots on target from 17 attempts, as the final whistle signaled a 0-0 draw. Here are the player ratings for Italy against Poland.
Italy XI
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6.5
The Milan goalkeeper didn’t have to do much for the entire first half, but showed his composure early in the second, as he made a brilliant save on a dangerous Polish shot.
Alessandro Florenzi – 7
A tireless worker all over the right flank. Always accompanied his teammates when they went forward, but never forgets to drop back for his defensive duties.
Leonardo Bonucci – 7
A commanding performance from the Captain of the night. Kept Robert Lewandowski as quiet as possible and distributed the ball from the back as usual.
Francesco Acerbi – 6.5
The Lazio man had his nervy moments, as some of his failed passes gifted Poland dangerous scoring opportunities, but made a vital interception on Karol Linetty late in the match that saved a point for Italy.
Emerson Palmieri – 6.5
An encouraging display from the Chelsea Left-Back. Started the match nervously with some missed balls, but his fabulous ball interception denied Lewandowski an easy goal. Could have done better when he was sent straight to goal by Verratti.
Marco Verratti – 7.5
Although he’s still not at his best physically and technically, the PSG star ran the midfield as Italy dominated possession and created most of the chances.
Jorginho – 7
Played deep in Italy’s midfield and helped the defenders in dealing with Lewandowski as he closed the spaces on the Bayern legend. The Chelsea man also contributed well in the Azzurri’s passing.
Nicolò Barella – 6.5
An energetic display as ever by the Inter midfielder as he ran his socks off for as long as he was on the pitch. Unfortunately his touch failed him at some key moments as he wasted some dangerous chances.
Lorenzo Pellegrini – 6
The Roma central-midfielder was asked to play in a much more advanced role than what he’s used to. While he did his best to link up the midfield with the attack, he fell short whenever he found himself with the ball inside the opposition penalty area, and his corners kicks delivery was abysmal.
Federico Chiesa – 6
Playing his first match since his deadline day transfer to Juventus, all eyes were on Chiesa. But unfortunately for the young winger, nothing seemed to be working for him in the first half, especially as he wasted the easiest of chances right in front of an open goal. Did well after the break and was able to find Emerson with some decent crosses.
Andrea Belotti – 5.5
When you’re competing for a starting spot with the reigning European Golden-Shoe winner, you must do a lot better than that to justify your selection. Unfortunately for Gallo, he was never close to scoring as he lost his battle against his former Torino teammate Kamil Glik.
Italy Substitutes
Moise Kean – 6.5
The new PSG striker brought some much needed pace and muscle as he continues to push for a place in the starting XI.
Manuel Locatelli – 6.5
A brief cameo for the Sassuolo man but showcased his ever-evolving game as he’s growing into a truly complete midfielder.
Domenico Berardi – N/A
Francesco Caputo – N/A
