In the conference on the eve of Italy-Bosnia, the last test match before the debut at the 2024 European Championships, Luciano Spalletti took stock of the Italian team’s moment. Without forgetting where his adventure began: “We won in 2021, but we started from not qualifying for the World Cup…”
Press conference a Coverciano from Luciano Spalletti that after having made official the players that will be brought to the Europeans in Germany he stopped to comment on the present, the past and the blue future. Starting from the condition of those who are not one hundred percent, like Barella and Meret, remembering the state in which he found the national team when he took on the role of coach and what he expects from the tournament: “When I arrived there was still a significant open wound. We’re going to the European Championships, then we’ll see how we can grow along this path.”
After the anonymous draw in the test match against Turkey, Luciano Spalletti’s Italian national team is preparing Sunday 9 June at 8.45pm to face Bosnia in the last friendly act before the start of the continental tournament which will begin on Saturday 15 June, where Italy at Euro 2024 will have to face the classic “iron round”.
Spalletti and Italy, European champions but out of the World Cup
Analysis of a first phase of a cycle that will now have to begin to reap the benefits in the field. Spalletti knows this but he also knows where we started from, from what he remembers in no uncertain terms “from a non-qualification for the World Cup” which weighs as much as the extraordinary European title won with Mancini. “We won in 2021, but we started from a non-qualification for the World Cup. We don’t want to be our own hackers, we are working seriously. When I arrived there was still a significant open wound” recalled the Italian coach. “We’re going to the European Championships, then we’ll try to grow along this path but we started from not qualifying for the World Cup”
Italy beats the Under 20 national team and now awaits Spalletti: waiting for the squad called up for the European Championships
Spalletti and the Italy he expects at the 2024 European Championships
Then, the thought of the now imminent continental tournament in which Italy is preparing to play with the honor and burden of reigning champion: “There will never be a position of tranquility because we are Italy, so we must aspire to a lot. Then after having taken charge with the affection and passion of our athletes, you have to go and play and the matches put you in front of of difficulties. We need to demonstrate our ability to react to possibilities.” Spalletti concluded his thoughts: “The future is granted to us automatically, then it depends on how you live it.”
Italy-Bosnia, Spalletti explains the conditions of Barella and the other Azzurri
However, on Sunday there is a test, the last one, and therefore even more important to draw further elements in view of the European Championships: “You will need to be able to have the quality to carve out the half spaces that create difficulties in marking, keep the team block low and give you the feeling of being able to manage the match. If you are not balanced on the restarts you can suffer. I expect to see the analyzes made after the match against Turkey put into practice” highlighted the Italian coach. “With the boys there was time to try things and I expect to see that they have understood some things and that things are done better.”
Then, on the merits of the various players, between those who will play and those who won’t yet: “For Stretcher there is optimism from the first moment because everything has always been under control. For Meret the same thing applies. He will be there against Bosnia up front Scamacca, good morning he will play from the 1st minute in defence, in half space Beans it’s at Jorginho”.
