Italy have a first 16, not just a first XI: Michel Sablon

Player for player, there have been sides with better starting XIs, but there is no team at Euro 2020 with a better first 16 than Italy.

You might be wondering what a first 16 is.

Essentially, it means that Italy have around 16 players who can form their starting XI with no real drop in quality.

That depth is one reason why, despite rivals like France or Belgium having better individual players, the Azzurri are the tournament's best team.

SEMI-FINAL

ITALY

SPAIN

This has been clear right from the very start of the Euros.

Which other team could lose their two biggest stars, captain and defensive rock Giorgio Chiellini and playmaker Marco Verratti, as well as their first-choice right-back Alessandro Florenzi to injury at various stages, yet remain unaffected and play the best football at the tournament?

That's before you even factor in that Roberto Mancini lost midfielders Lorenzo Pellegrini and Stefano Sensi to injury before a ball was kicked.

We've seen how Belgium struggled with Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard's injuries or how France were impacted when Kylian Mbappe had an off day.

But not Italy.

When Chiellini was unavailable, Francesco Acerbi stepped in. Florenzi has to be substituted, no problem, there's Giovanni di Lorenzo.

Verratti needing time to regain full fitness merely served as a platform for Matteo Pessina and Manuel Locatelli to shine with two goals apiece.

Then there are the substitutions. Federico Chiesa's introduction was the catalyst for Italy's 2-1 extra-time win over a stubborn Austria in the last 16.

That is why I am not too worried that Leonardo Spinazzola will miss the semi-final against Spain tomorrow morning (Singapore time).

The flying left-back has been widely regarded as one of the players of the tournament and a key component of how Italy play, but if any team can replace him, it is the Azzurri.

After all, Mancini has been doing that all tournament long.

Don't get me wrong, Italy have lost a huge part of how they attack and his replacement will likely be a drop in quality compared to the 28-year-old.

But Italy's 4-3-3 system and their playing style and structure will remain the same. Basically, they will adhere to the same principles and tweak their approach to adapt to whoever comes in at left-back, likely Emerson Palmieri.

There is a reason they are unbeaten in 32 games, since October 2018.

I think the most appropriate way to describe Italy is that they are a mature team.

I don’t mean mature in terms of their age, they are just a very adult side, in the same way their quarter-final victims Belgium were a naive team.

Mancini’s team are realistic in their approach while still playing an open, attacking style. They build up play from back to front well but at the same time, they are organised and tough.

There is a nice balance in the team from Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal to Ciro Immobile up front. They just give off the impression that they could score at any moment, yet never look panicked when they don’t.

Italy will offer Spain a very different test to what they have faced so far.

Luis Enrique’s team have largely faced more cautious sides and the onus was on them to break their opponents down. Italy, however, won’t retreat to a low block against La Furia Roja. They will play a mid-block and try to control the game rather than just relying on the counter.

Spain, as has often been the case at major tournaments, have tended to be slow starters who get better as the tournament progresses.

They share similarities with Italy, in the sense they are more of a team than a collection of star individuals.

Both teams try to dominate matches but don’t have that one dominating player like de Bruyne, Mbappe, Paul Pogba or Cristiano Ronaldo.

There is no player in either team who has found the net more than twice, but combined, they have seven players who are on a brace.

Spain can look most threatening in the latter stages of matches, when concentration levels drop.

But Italy’s strength in depth means that whoever faces them during the latter stages will not be a drop off in quality from their starting XI.

• United Arab Emirates technical director Michel Sablon occupied the same role in Singapore from 2015-2018. He was part of Belgium's coaching staff at three World Cups, including 1986, when they finished fourth. The former Belgian FA technical director is credited with developing the blueprint that produced their current golden generation of footballers.