I just like to know .Italy uses it very often only cause i dont know how many defense and defensive midfielders they use ,if you know ,please let me know .I know that this strategy is very defensive .

Musketeers a test for France's Zorro.....
-------------------------------------------
This is all i could find about the Italian defensive setup......hope it helps..

Sunday's Euro 2000 Final will provide a fascinating contrast in styles with Italy employing its historic 'catenaccio' defensive system in a bid to foil France's offensive game that revolves around its talismanic playmaker Zinedine Zidane.

In Italy all roads may lead to Rome, but Zidane is the conduit through which all of France's creative options flow.

Two years ago it was two lethal sword thrusts from the French "Zorro" - carved with the trademark Z sign - that saw Brazil tumble to a 3-0 defeat in the World Cup Final.

In Sunday's Final, however, Zidane and his less heralded allies will try to storm a hitherto inpenetrable Italian citadel manned by three Musketeers - albeit Italian ones.

For Porthos, Aramis and Athos read Fabio Cannavaro, Mark Iuliano and Alessandro Nesta.

And behind that trio lies a real D'Artagnan figure - goalkeeper Francesco Toldo - who swashbucklingly came to the aid of the three defenders in the all for one and one for all rearguard action that eventually evicted the Dutch army from their own Amsterdam ArenA in the semi-final.

Neither side is likely to name its starting line-up until shortly before kick-off on Sunday.

But the rumours in the French camp are saying that coach Roger Lemerre may be plotting a tactical change, adopting the Christmas Tree formation (4-3-2-1).

The indications are that Lemerre may keep Nicolas Anelka on the bench and play Thierry Henry on his own up front.

Immediately behind Henry would be Zidane and Youri Djorkaeff, who missed the semi-final victory over Portugal but scored vital winners in the Group stages against the Czech Republic and in the quarter-final against Spain.

To pair Zidane and Djorkaeff as offensive midfielders would be to reunite the two cornerstones of France's offensive gameplan during their recent golden age.

If the reports are true then that pair would be supported by three midfield ballwinners in Emmanuel Petit, Didier Deschamps and Patrick Vieira.

And what a back four. Lilian Thuram, Marcel Desailly, Laurent Blanc and Bixente Lizarazu have played together for 'Les Bleus' 26 times and never lost since they were first united in a Euro 96 match against Bulgaria at Newcastle that finished 3-1.

They have kept 17 clean sheets.

With Blanc already having said Sunday's final will be his last match for the national team victory in the final would ensure that that alliance would end undefeated.

And even if Italy do get behind the defence they must then try and outwit Fabien Barthez in the French goal.
--------------------------------------------
But France face an Italian side moulded into a formidable unit by Dino Zoff who has reacquainted the 'Azzurri' with their historic catenaccio system - the literal translation is heavy chain.
----------------------------------------------
Nesta, Cannavaro and Iuliano form the three-man defence in front of Toldo, arguably the most outstanding goalkeeper in this tournament.

When their opponents are in possession that back line is supplemented on the left flank by Paolo Maldini with until now Gianluca Zambrotta on the right hand side.

Zambrotta is ruled out of the final through suspension and his probable deputy is Angelo Di Livio.

When Italy has the ball Maldini and di Livio move up to midfield to form a five-man unit with three central midfielders.

Demetrio Albertini will hold the fort in the centre with Luigi Di Biagio on his right and Stefano Fiore on his left.

Up front Zoff has until now played Filippo Inzaghi with either Francesco Totti or Alessandro Del Piero.

In the semi-final he sprung a surprise by picking Del Piero at Totti's expense and the feeling is that he will persist with the all-Juventus Del Piero-Inzaghi axis against France.

Sunday's final will provide the perfect contrast in styles with France likely to carry the game to the opponents who are likely to absorb the pressure but then launch raids on the counter-attack.

It is likely to be a tight affair with Italy resorting to parrying the thrusts of Zidane and his French raiders. But it remains to be seen which swordsman will produce the telling coup de grace.

No one cares how those Italian f*ckers play

It's not football that's for certain.

Daniel, i dun agree with u.

I agree Italy is defensive, but i am amazed by the way they defend. in fact, i will say that Maldini-Nesta-Canavaro defended so beautifully that it became an Art and it is always so wonderful 2 watch them play.

Soccer is not just about passing and attacking u know? it is also about tactics

btw, i am not italian

Daniel, you're a looser, and a ****head too.

Paolo, it is not a formation-thing, it is simply a "state of mind". Currently, on the paper, they play a 3-5-2, which in fact is flexible and converts into a 5-4-1.

However, the only game Italy really played catenaccio was vs. Holland, but what were they expected to do with Merck the jerk?

Gee,I never taught defense was illegal in footbal.

At first, it was a 3-5-2...

But against the likes of Holland (and probably France), they will use a 4-4-2...

They don't mark man-to-man since that would ruin their zonal scheme...

Today, I jumped on a Italian bandwagon by buying a Fiorentina KIT...(LOL, Jorg Heinrich plays for them as well =)