Italy set out in 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 against Israel?

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Susy Campanale | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 2:03 PM ET

There are several different interpretations of the tactical system adopted by Gennaro Gattuso for his second Italy game against Israel.

It kicks off at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary, at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

The Azzurri swept Estonia aside 5-0 on Friday with a 4-2-3-1 formation, but Gattuso has made two changes to the starting XI.

He brought in Gianluca Mancini and Manuel Locatelli to replace Riccardo Calafiori and injured Mattia Zaccagni.

It was assumed this would make the Nazionale a 4-3-3 formation, the only big difference bolstering the midfield with Locatelli’s presence.

However, the inclusion of Mancini could make this more of a 3-5-2, at least when building out from the back.

It would push Federico Dimarco into a more advanced role and drop Matteo Politano to a wing-back position, leaving Moise Kean and Mateo Retegui as joint centre-forwards.

This fits in with the growing reluctance of coaches to stick with the old-fashioned formations, warning that teams play out from the back with one shape, and then defend in another.

Nonetheless, moving to three immediately would be a rather radical switch for Gattuso, especially as Luciano Spalletti was criticised for repeatedly switching between systems.