What a team move!
keh ah-TSYO-neh dee SKWA-drah.
After a beautifully constructed team goal or attack involving multiple passes. Italian football culture values collective play alongside individual brilliance.
Che azione means what a move or what an action. Di squadra means of the team or as a team. Un'azione (feminine) refers to a passing move or attacking sequence. Celebrating collective play (il gioco di squadra) is as important as celebrating individual goals.
Che combinazione!
What a combination!
For a short combination play between two or three players.
Tredici passaggi prima del gol!
Thirteen passes before the goal!
Counting the passes in a build-up — a mark of quality.
Questo è il calcio totale!
This is total football!
Reference to the Dutch tactical philosophy of fluid, total football.
The Italian football philosophy of il gioco (the game) values elegant collective movement. The Grande Torino team of the 1940s — which died in the Superga air disaster of 1949 — is remembered not just for their titles but for the beauty of their collective football. They remain a spiritual reference point for the Italian game.