The Inter striker’s performance against Northern Ireland was impressive. Retegui’s performance, however, was less convincing. Esposito is therefore a strong contender for a starting spot against Dzeko & Co. in Tuesday’s match

Goals for Italy in the World Cup. On Tuesday in Zenica against Bosnia, Italy will need to be at its best—a team that is more incisive in front of goal but also in building play compared to what we saw in the first half against Northern Ireland last night. A slow start in Dzeko and his teammates’ fortress could cost us dearly, so Gattuso will carefully weigh every decision based on three key factors. 1) With five full days of rest, even the starters who faced the Irish will have fully recovered physically and mentally; 2) Gattuso expects to have Scamacca available, at least for the bench; 3) the team performed better in the second half in Bergamo because Politano pushed forward more decisively on the right, but also because Pio Esposito linked up more frequently with Kean.

Given that Kean scored his 12th goal for the national team against Northern Ireland—his fifth under Gattuso—and that he took numerous shots (6) and came close to scoring before finally finding the net ten minutes from the end, it seems unlikely that the coach will leave him out. If the Fiorentina striker is fit and doesn’t feel the recurrence of the shin problem that has slowed him down this season, he’ll start from the first minute in Zenica. Who will be by his side? Against O’Neill’s team, Retegui didn’t impress: the former Atalanta player lacked speed, spark, and didn’t link up well with the rest of the team. True, he touched the ball more than anyone else in the box (10 times), but with Moise, there wasn’t the chemistry seen on other occasions. Was it due to the opponents, who left no space between the lines and “isolated” them from the rest of the team? Possibly. What is certain is that both players made only eight passes each throughout the match. That’s far too few. And Mateo, who hadn’t played in the Saudi Pro League since March 13, seemed less sharp compared to the matches in October and November. The days he spent training alone at Coverciano weren’t enough to shake off the rust from two weeks without official matches. Will his condition have improved by Tuesday? We’ll see. In any case, the Pio Esposito we saw last night gives pause for thought. Was it right to use him only in the second half, or should he have started from the beginning?

change of pace—  The Inter player came on with Italy already ahead, but with him alongside Kean, the Azzurri shifted gears. Because Pio defended the ball better than Retegui. Because he made himself available more often. And because he created space for the Viola striker, who was able to attack the deep channels with greater incisiveness. Did the fact that Ireland, down by a goal, shifted their center of gravity further forward and left a few more gaps also play a role? Undeniably. However, it is clear that Esposito gave the impression of deserving his spot. He wasn’t directly involved in the second goal (Tonali’s assist), but with him, the national team had an additional threat up front, not just because he nearly scored with a header. His height and weight can make the difference in a “battle” like the one in Zenica, against a team like Bosnia that will try to compensate for the ranking (and quality) gap with Italy through intensity, strength, and aggression.

choice—  Gattuso is a coach who pays close attention to the team’s balance, and in these World Cup qualifiers, Retegui’s goals and assists have been crucial in helping the team finish just behind Norway. At the same time, however, he also knows that this is (perhaps) Pio’s moment: he has scored three times in six appearances for the Azzurri and is becoming increasingly decisive at Inter, so much so that he is the main attacking threat in Lautaro’s absence. In Zenica, coming off the bench, he could provide the spark needed, as he did last night, but at the same time, starting with Esposito and Kean could help steer the match in the right direction. Given that Raspadori will also be available—and perhaps Scamacca for a few minutes—the coach will have a few days to carefully consider which attacking duo to field. It won’t be an easy choice, but it’s better to think things through when you have plenty of options, as we do now, than to frantically search for a solution to the scoring problem, as we’ve done in the not-too-distant past.