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In one of the biggest upsets in football history, North Macedonia crushed Italy's hopes of making it to the World Cup in Qatar with a last ditch winner. The loss gets even more difficult to digest when you realize that just nine months ago, Roberto Mancini and co. won the Euros in some style.
The Azzurri failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup as well and will watch the tournament from the comfort of their homes once again.
You can sympathize with the nation at this point or mock them, but you can't deny the fact that there were players in that squad who the world wanted to see in Qatar.
Some of them have been the highest assist providers this season and should Italy have made it to the World Cup, Mancini's side would not have been starved of goalscoring chances. On that note, here are the five Italians with the most assists in all competitions.
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#5 Giacomo Bonaventura - 8 assists
Giacomo Bonaventura is one of the most passionate footballers in Serie A and the experienced Italian is playing for his third club in the Italian top-flight these days. He previously represented Atalanta, then played for AC Milan from 2014 to 2020 before moving to his current club Fiorentina.
The central midfielder has been a decent source of goal threat from midfield throughout his career and continues to make important contributions. The 32-year old has registered 8 assists so far this campaign in 30 appearances and also managed to find the back of the net on 3 occasions.
Bonaventura will be determined to work hard to help Viola seal European qualification for next season. Fiorentina are currently placed 8th in the points table, just four points behind fifth-placed Roma with one game in hand. The experienced Italian can sometimes be reckless and has been suspended twice this season.
#4 Nicolo Zaniolo - 8 assists
The worst was feared when Nicolo Zaniolo suffered a horror ACL injury in 2020 which kept him on the sidelines for the entire 2020-21 campaign. His great technique and nimble feet made him one of the best talents in the country back in the day.
Things are slowly getting back on track for the 22-year old who has shown glimpses of his immense talent.
The creative playmaker has also scored on three occasions this season. Jose Mourinho has used the young Italy international in his preferred right-wing position and even centrally in a second striker role as well.
Due to injuries, his explosive turn of pace is not the same anymore and that has forced him to change his style of play. However, he is settling in well and is only going to get better with time.
Many European sides, including Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, Newcastle United and even Manchester United, are monitoring his situation as the player has grown unhappy at Roma.
#3 Nicolo Barella - 10 assists
Nicolo Barella started the season in red-hot form and was indispensable in the Inter Milan squad. But as the season progressed, he has failed to influence games like before. That is also partly why his team have fallen behind in the race for Scudetto from a leading position.
Barella has provided 10 assists in the campaign so far, only three short of his tally from the previous season. But he has gone missing too often, well almost for the majority of the second half of the season. Six of those assists came in the first eight Serie A games and he provided the remaining four in 2 games against Cagliari and Saleritana respectively.
With Barella not functioning at his best, there is little creativity in that Inter Milan side and goalscoring chances also have dried up. The midfielder is a mainstay in the team and rarely gets left out of the starting XI, which seems to be leading to fatigue.
He was part of the starting XI that faced North Macedonia in the World Cup Qualifying Play-off where Italy suffered a shock defeat. The 25-year old is the most valuable Italian player along with Federico Chiesa a atnd is valued €70 million according to Trnasfermarkt.
#2 Antonio Candreva - 11 assists
Antonio Candreva has been one of the most underrated wingers in Serie A over the course of the last decade. He represented Lazio and Inter Milan before moving to Sampdoria, where he was on loan last season and signed permanently before the 2021-22 campaign began.
For a price of 2.5 million, the veteran has been nothing short of a bargain. He has scored seven times this season and has created ample chances leading to his 11 assists across all competitions in 31 appearances. He also leads the list as the player with the most key passes in the Italian top-flight this season.
Candreva has been shouldering the burden of rescuing his side from relegation on his own. Sampdoria are seven points above the relegation zone, sitting in 15th position. Come the end of the season, the veteran winger could potentially have played a very important role in saving them from the drop. He is undoubtedly turning out to be a season-saving signing in every sense.
#1 Domenico Berardi - 14 assists
Domenico Berardi is at the peak of his career and has had a very successful campaign with Sassuolo. He has arguably been the most impressive Italian player over the course of the season and his numbers are proof of the same. The winger has made 20+ goal contributions in each of his last two campaigns and is on course for his most prolific year in senior football.
He has found the back of the net 14 times alongside the 14 assists he has provided so far in 28 appearances, averaging a goal contribution in every game. Berardi's effective close control has allowed him to exploit his pace with the ball at his feet, which, coupled with his impressive decision-making, makes him a constant threat in the final-third.
It's not just open play where the 27-year old has been a stand-out. He is also highly efficient with his set-piece deliveries. His 'wand' of a left-foot has seen him hit some of the sweetest football strikes.
In Italy's game against North Macedonia, the goalkeeper committed a grave error and the ball found Berardi with an open goal to finish. Roberto Mancini couldn't have asked for a better player to take this opportunity. But in dramatic fashion, the winger failed to connect properly and the retreating goalkeeper saved his strike.
Despite having a scintillating individual season, the Sassuolo forward will rue that chance for years to come.
