Italy’s 3-1 defeat to Belgium has done little to dispel widespread suspicion at manager Antonio Conte’s methods.

With pre-match criticism and concern directed at Conte for excluding some in-form players (namely Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Berardi), he knew his side needed to produce a performance to silence his doubters.

Whilst a hardworking first half display must please the Azzurri faithful, individual defensive errors combined with the drop in tempo after the break made the crucial difference at the Stade Roi Baudouin, handing Belgium a 3-1 victory.

Italian fans will be just as displeased at Conte’s inability to make positive changes as the match was getting away from his men, highlighting his inflexibility as a manager.

The good news is that Claudio Marchisio was arguably Italy’s best on the night. Trying to establish a rhythm for his side, spraying balls in wide positions and making exciting runs forward from midfield, the 29-year-old was desperate to create something.

Trouble is, the tactical setup didn’t exactly provide the Juventus mainstay with the best platform on which to express himself: il Principino simply can’t do this all alone, and Italy were unable to put a firm grasp on the match with just one other central midfielder in support.

Conte’s attacking plan is also a tad limiting and predictable, as it relies heavily on Graziano Pelle dropping deep and flicking speculative balls onto Eder to run through on goal.

The approach also calls for the Southampton target man to find his wide men with room behind the defence.  Alessandro Florenzi and Antonio Candreva got into good positions in the first half, but that changed after the break when Belgium made some tactical adjustments.

Though they threatened on a few occasions, Italy were worryingly unable to vary their attacking approach. Marco Parolo’s main contribution, for example, was launching passes up for Pelle to flick on. When executed perfectly, the Azzurri would see Eder in a decent position to create something going forward. Nothing more.

Even more disconcerting were Italy’s defensive mistakes. Traditionally built from the back, Azzurri sides generally can’t afford to turn up to major tournaments with sieve-like defenses.

Far from improving on their shaky form in qualifiers, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci were both responsible for Belgium’s attacking success, the former Fiorentina man affording too much room to Jan Vertonghen for Belgium’s headed equaliser. Bonucci, for his part, was responsible for Kevin De Bruyne’s deadlock-breaking effort.

Though Mattia De Sciglio kept Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco quiet for much of the first half, he would nearly cause the Azzurri to let in another with a huge blunder. His throw in was easily intercepted by Kevin De Bruyne and he sent Lukaku through on goal. A magnificent last ditch tackle from Chiellini was enough to stop the Everton striker from doubling the lead.

Conte’s substitutions were also a cause for concern: though Roberto Soriano livened things up by setting up Eder to hit the post, the other three other substitutions all came on together with just ten minutes to go, too little time to make a difference.

Instead, Ferreria-Carrasco would go on to toy with the sluggish Azzurri defence, escaping a group of opponents with a sublime skill move and finding Michy Batshuayi to make it 3-1.

After the defeat, Conte did not let the loss affect him in the slightest, going as far as to claim that  Italy were “taking on one of the best teams in the world, among the favourites for Euro 2016. We showed the right attitude and continue our work.”

It’s become clear that a three-man midfield is needed in order for Italy to see more of the ball and better manage it. Marco Verratti and Daniele De Rossi, normally starters, were unavailable through injury but should be regain their places in France next summer.

Italy, normally trustworthy in the back, are paying in individual mistakes from Juventus’ starting duo. With Chiellini regressing to levels unseen in years, it may be time to put Barzagli back in the starting lineup or entrust younger alternatives.

Conte will look to revenge this loss against Romania on Tuesday, but is excluding explosive players like Insigne and Berardi truly the way forward?

With the Azzurri struggling to play or defend well, banking on passion and morality looks to be a poor substitute for France 2016.