An inspired second half performance from Italy wasn’t enough for Antonio Conte’s side to claim victory over Romania at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. The Azzurri’s 2-2 draw highlighted some the familiar problems we’ve seen under the 46-year-old tactician at the helm.

Although the Azzurri don’t particularly treat friendlies in the same light as qualifying matches – winning six, and both drawing and losing 10 in the last five years – the starting lineup chosen by Conte was something very close to the same group of players that we’ve seen in the qualifiers.

In fact, aside from Manolo Gabbiadini and Stefano Okaka’s late cameos, the ex-Juve boss did not experiment at all. Surprisingly, Luca Antonelli remained on the bench in place of Giorgio Chiellini at left-back, a position that the Bianconero has struggled in when deployed over the years.

This has puzzled many, especially considering the nature of this fixture.

With Conte seemingly favouring an Eder/Graziano Pelle partnership next summer, this match along with the Belgium defeat could’ve been used to test more players, particularly giving the aforementioned substitutes a start as well as others who deserved a proper run out.

Moreover, Conte’s surprising omission of players this time around brings up a scary realisation: there are just two friendlies left in March to experiment with new faces. This has left a bitter taste among Azzurri supporters who wanted to see a bit of change and possible improvement from the rigid side on display.

However, what is causing the biggest concern among fans are the lapses in concentration at the back caused through individual mistakes, with the trend continuing as evidenced by recent friendlies.

According to Opta, Italy have conceded 12 goals in 10 matches from the start of 2015, letting in only seven in 12 matches in all of 2014.

It’s a scary trend when you consider how Italy’s defence has historically been their greatest strength.

Turning our attention back to the Romania encounter, the first goal conceded came at the expense of a mix-up between Matteo Darmian and Andrea Barzagli. With both attempting to clear the ball while facing their own goal, they deflected it right to Bodan Stancu. The forward wasted no time and fired it quickly in the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

In the dying minutes of the match, Salvatore Sirigu did not make a clean catch of the ball off a headed attempt from a free-kick. Bobbling it in mid-air, he pushed his effort to the right of goal but not far away enough from Florin Andone who tucked it home.

After the match Riccardo Montolivo acknowledged to RAI Sport that Italy “conceded avoidable goals with distractions and that is something we need to work on.”

Although Conte was quoted as saying he was satisfied after the recent defeat in Brussels, his tune was different in Bologna; he also declared a draw wasn’t the right result. The 46-year-old told RAI Sport, “I was already angry with the result in Belgium, so once again we failed to get the result we deserved.

“We have to start avoiding these incidents. Tonight Romania had two shots on goal and scored twice. It’s a shame, as we fully deserved to win this game in every way.”

Although the away side rarely threatened, Romania dominated most of the possession in a dire first half. The Azzurri were limited to half chances against Anghel Iordănescu’s side, who were organized and compact at the back.

This should’ve come as no surprise as Romania only allowed two goals in all of their qualifying campaign, the fewest of any nation.

But Italy would wake up in the second half, and the guest’s energy levels took a sharp dive too. Montolivo’s introduction helped to really improve Italy’s midfield organization and attacking play.

The 30-year-old granted calmness and composure to his side, which is what they were lacking before the break.

Additionally, Napoli’s Manolo Gabbiadini did well to stake his claim for a Euro 2016 spot, nodding in a header from a lovely Claudio Marchisio assist.

All in all, there is still much Conte and Co. need to work on. While one could argue the ex-Juve coach has led Italy to an undefeated run and friendly results shouldn’t weigh too heavily, he did deploy a starting XI similar to what we’ll likely see in France next summer and against better sides than their qualifying group. The attack remains predictable and the defence needs sorting, problems that affected the Azzurri the last time they made a stab at international silverware- and were sent home in the group stages.

But with Conte there is always hope. Three Scudettos in a row have to count for something. But will that - and his unquestionable motivational skills - be enough?