Late revamp in store for Azzurri before Euro 2012

Italy look set to have a last-minute revamp of their system of play days before their Euro 2012 opener against Spain after several weaknesses were exposed in a 3-0 defeat by Russia in a pre-tournament friendly. Cesare Prandelli's men were unbeaten in their impressive qualifying campaign, but the drubbing they received from Russia in Zurich was their third consecutive loss, following 1-0 defeats to the United States and Uruguay. It was also the third consecutive game in which they failed to score. Prandelli's main cause for alarm, however, is his defence, which was in disarray against the Russians. This was shown not only in the comical mix-ups that led to two of the three goals, but also in the ease with which the Russians managed to create five or six good chances that they failed to convert. As a result the coach indicated he will dump the 4-3-1-2 formation he has favoured since replacing Marcello Lippi on the Azzurri bench in 2010 and use a new system with a three-man defence. The aim would be to provide greater coverage, as the two wide midfielders drop back to form a five-man backline when the opposition have the ball. 'I was surprised by the defence. I'm obliged to try something that gives solidity to the defence even though I don't have much time,' he said. 'We will change the defence. We may consider three or five at the back, although it amounts to the same thing'. Switching to a relatively untried formation at such a late stage would undoubtedly be a big risk and some have suggested it would give off the idea that there is panic in the camp. But Serie A champions Juventus used a three-man defence last season to good effect and the Turin side are the outfit with the biggest contingent in Prandelli's Euro 2012 squad. And it would be especially well-suited to the Juve centre backs in the squad Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli - although the latter risks missing the tournament in Poland and Ukraine with a calf problem. Some pundits have said the way the Azzurri disintegrated after going behind in Zurich reflected the lack of experience of a squad in which only four players have 50 caps or more - Chiellini, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, playmaker Andrea Pirlo and midfielder Daniele De Rossi. Prandelli, however, is upbeat about his men's ability to use the lessons learned against Russia to mount a strong campaign, which starts against world and European champions Spain in Gdansk on Sunday. 'It's better to suffer a knock-out now,' Prandelli said. 'We'll have to make use of this defeat, which puts our feet back on the ground. We were supposedly the team to beat (after the qualifiers). 'We don't have much time, but we'll use it to rediscover ourselves and be ready for June 10 in Gdansk'. photo: Mario Balotelli (left) fights for the ball with Russia's Denis Glushakov in Italy's 3-0 defeat in Zurich on Friday.