“I expect the team to be able to build the move and not passively wait for their opponents,” so says Italy Coach Cesare Prandelli. This was a comment made a couple of weeks ago when he was discussing what he wants to see from his Italy team at Euro 2012.

Of course, it has been clear for a long time what Prandelli wants from his team, and he has emphasised this particular element on a number of occasions since his appointment in 2010. It therefore makes the decision to leave Alberto Aquilani, a midfielder who fits this mantra perfectly, out of the Italy squad for this summer’s tournament incredibly baffling. Surely, like a visit to Ladbrokes.com, he was worth a closer look at.

If you want a side that controls the game, that looks to dominate opponents and above all, keeps the ball, the midfield needs to be filled with players that can perform these tasks at a high level. As it is, Prandelli is probably going to have at least three midfielders of this ilk in the first XI, possibly four if Thiago Motta is preferred to Claudio Marchisio, and that should be enough to carry out his vision. But beyond that, the depth for this type of player is lacking.

That is not to say those on the bench are not talented – Antonio Nocerino has come off a season where he has played out of his mind, and Alessandro Diamanti, domestically at least, has the ability to produce something special – but they are different types of player whose introduction to games will see the style altered slightly. A squad does not just need a plan B, but alternatives that can fit in the plan A.

Take Andrea Pirlo – his absence for matches in the last two tournaments have cost Italy dear, especially the 2010 World Cup, where the Azzurri desperately missed him in the first two games. Daniele De Rossi, Riccardo Montolivo and Marchisio formed the midfield three in their first game against Paraguay – the latter closer to the striker in the 4-2-3-1 used that day – and they could all play in the first game of Euro 2012.

But no member of that trio imposed themselves on the game in Pirlo's absence, and Italy struggled, just as they did in the second game against much weaker opposition in New Zealand. Montolivo had two poor games, but the then Coach Marcello Lippi had no real alternative to either substitute during the game or replace entirely. And that was with an ethos that was not built around keeping the ball, where the need for that category of midfielder was not as great, yet the trouble encountered without Pirlo was stark.

Prandelli certainly recognises how vital it is to ensure 2010 is not repeated. “Pirlo is aware of the fact that counting too much on his passing game will make us too predictable,” he stated. “The other midfielders must be involved too.” This did not happen two years ago, and by ignoring Aquilani, he is essentially relying on the same trio learning from their mistakes at the World Cup.

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