After the serious injury of Danilo Gallinari in preparation, we did not give much of the skin of Italy. Admittedly, the players of Gianmarco Pozzecco were in a rather easy group, but from there to leave Serbia, big favorite, of the tournament, it was in the realm of the improbable. And yet, it is Italy, and not Serbia, that France will face this Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. (live on Canal +).
A miraculous France which “ already saw himself on the return plane when Cedi Osman showed up on the free-throw line twelve seconds from the siren. The Cavaliers winger will miss both, and we know the rest…
This “miracle” may have created a click in the Blues, even if Evan Fournier evacuates the subject. “The feeling of being miraculous has disappeared. I feel like we’re where we should be.” yet believes the captain of the Blues.
Ten wins in a row for the Blues
When you are Olympic vice-champion, a quarter-final is indeed a minimum. The Blues will also be favorites, and it’s never an easy position for the French team. Evan Fournier’s teammates also have the art of annoying us and thwarting them when they are favorites or when they take a good lead.
They are all the more favorites because they have had an extra day off, because they have, on paper, a richer squad, and above all because their record against Italy is impressive. The Blues thus remain on 10 straight victories against the Italians, the last of which, in an official match, was in Tokyo.
It was already in the quarter-finals and France had played with fire before winning. ” It happened in the last minutes” recalls Vincent Collet on the team.
Savior of the Blues that day, Nicolas Batum is not there. Neither Nando De Colo, and even if these Blues have still beaten Italy twice in preparation, it is anything but a gift. Like their fiery coach, the Italians are not afraid of anything. ” France is a good team. We know them well recalls Marco Spissu, heroic against Serbia. ” They were among the three favorites to win this EuroBasket, but we proved against Serbia that we could compete with anyone and that we were not afraid to face them.“
Italy lead in interceptions
The strengths of Italy are known: good ball management (7 balls lost against Serbia); 3-point shooting (12 successes on average, 16 against Serbia); aggressiveness (1st in interceptions). In fact, Italy is the perfect antithesis of France. The Blues lose countless balls and are clumsy at 3-pointers. For example, Simone Fontecchio’s teammates take 33 3-point shots per game, against 22 for the French. The Blues are the team that loses the most balls (16 per game) while Italy steals nine on average.
Even in the game, the contrast is evident. Where Italy relies on versatile and interchangeable players, France relies on a classic five, with a real pivot (Rudy Gobert). The triple best defender in the NBA is gaining momentum in this Euro and his 20 points and 17 rebounds against Turkey have marked the spirits. But he will find himself, like Nikola Jokic in the previous round, in a complex and confusing defensive role, especially against the amazing Nicolo Melli in this fleeing interior role. Italy will spread the game as much as possible, involving it in as many actions as possible to stretch the French defense and get the pivot out of the racket.
“We will play to our strengths. Them on theirs. And we’ll see what happens.”anticipates Moustapha Fall on the Fed’s website. “When there are such discrepancies in matchups, a team will have to impose their style. “
Rudy Gobert, key player
For Vincent Collet, the essential point remains trust. Italy, like Finland in the first half against Spain, Turkey in the second half against France, or Germany against Greece, feeds on the confidence born of their address at 3 -points. The Blues don’t know what it is. France don’t have periods of 3-point euphoria, and the France coach wants to limit the series of 3-pointers as much as possible.
” It’s a team that plays a lot on shooting, so confidence is hugely important.” he confirms. “They’re going to be looking to lure us wide to use what they do best, getting in and out on the outside shooters. This will be one of the major challenges, not to suffer too much in these situations to limit what happened to the Serbs on Sunday”.
Rotations will therefore be essential in defense, with outsiders who flutter to avoid any open position and tall men who raise their arms well. The challenge for Vincent Collet’s men will be above all to break any “momentum” in Italy, to avoid letting them enter these periods of euphoria where they can then take everything. For this, it will obviously be necessary to control the 3-point shooters, but also the “drive-and-kick”.
On the other side of the field, Italy take risks, with a high defense, and there will be good moves to play behind the backs of the defenders. In Tokyo and even in preparation, Rudy Gobert has always been a headache for the Italians. At the Olympics, he finished 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting, with several dunks, including a 360°. France had grabbed 49 rebounds against 33 for the Italians. If the Blues win the racket battle on both sides of the pitch, Italy will only be able to rely on their long-distance address. That’s what worked against Serbia. It’s up to France to defend the open seas better, and to avoid giving them too much ammunition…
THE OPPONENT
The major five : Marco Spissu, Stefano Tonut, Simone Fontecchio, Achille Polonara, Nicolo Melli
The replacements : Tommaso Baldasso, Paul Biligha, Luigi Datome, Nico Mannion, Alessandro Pajola, Giampaolo Ricci, Amedeo Tessitori
THE LAST THREE FRANCE – ITALY
August 3, 2021 : France – Italy (84-75), Tokyo Olympics quarter-final
August 12, 2022 : France – Italy (78-77), friendly in Bologna
August 16, 2022 : France – Italy (100-68), friendly in Montpellier
TELEVISION
Canal+ from 5:15 p.m.
