“I expect to see the analyzes made after the match against Turkey put into practice. There was time to try things with the boys and I expect to see that they have understood some things and we can do better. Scamacca plays up front“. The Italy coach Luciano Spalletti spoke at the press conference on the eve of the friendly match with Bosnia-Herzegovina, the last before leaving for Germany for Euro2024: “With the exclusion of Orsolini, goodbye to the 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1? “No, Cambiaso, Chiesa or Pellegrini can play in the top right winger positionso we have possibilities for that area of the field“.
On Barella, Meret, Fagioli and Buongiorno
“For Barella there is optimism from the first moment because everything has always been under control. When there is fatigue you have to wait a day or two, but today everything became clearer. He cannot be taken into consideration for the Empoli match, but for Albania yes, we are confident. Meret? The same thing. Beans? Yes, I liked his performance and tomorrow he will play together with Jorginho. We need to be good technically if we want to bring all these people onto the pitch. It takes quality and tactical intelligence to do this job, it takes a little more stuff than what we have shown so far. We need to stay more in the central sector. We have to try to control the game, we have to know how to manage the ball and know in which area of the pitch we have to manage it. We have a bit of everything with these 26 players. Good morning, will you play from the 1st minute? Yes“, adds Spalletti.
On Euro2024
“I think it’s right given our position and that we are the ones to whom everything must be open. There will never be a position of tranquility because we are Italy, so we have a lot to aspire to. Then after having taken charge with the affection and passion of our athletes, you have to go and play and the matches present you with difficulties. We must demonstrate our ability to react to possibilities. The future is granted to us automatically, then it depends on how you live it. We know where we come from. Surely the best thing is not to tell these guys that the only thing possible is to win the European Championship, when I arrived there was still a significant open wound. Then we’re going to the European Championships Let’s try to grow along this path but we started from not qualifying for the World Cup. 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. I didn’t choose them, they are the ones who deserve this shirt, I only chose the best“, continues Spalletti.
On the 10th to Pellegrini
“Given the qualities Pellegrini has, he can wear number 10 correctlyhe’s made of that stuff and he’s a player who knows how to float, who knows how to take free kicks and penalties. He has the foot to place that soft ball and is always well placed with his body posture, knows how to jump the man in the strait. And then there’s Barella who is close to a number 10, even if he goes a long way. But this makes it even stronger, improves it. We are correctly placed in the number 10 zone“, Spalletti continues.
On Bosnia
“A team that makes restarts its first quality, they keep the team block low and give you the feeling that you can manage the game. If you are not balanced on the counterattacks you can suffer, if you miss too many passes the match against Turkey could end. You need to be able to have the quality to carve out the half spaces that create difficulties in marking“, Spalletti’s analysis.
On the return to Castellani as coach
“I bought all the tickets… All my friends will be there, I will definitely feel at home because I experienced wonderful moments there and my entire childhood. I was a youth sector coach, I coached the first team, it was a wonderful experience that gives me very important emotions when I remember it. It will be very exciting. Thirty years ago would I have ever thought of returning to Castellani as coach? This is an even brighter, brighter blue. It’s difficult to answer: when I left I certainly had ambitions, I was working to lead a Serie A team, but at that moment it was impossible to imagine this moment here. But as said before, we all have the future ahead of us and then it depends on the actions you take. From humility, from conviction: they are two neighboring things. Being presumptuous is not, but overestimating your opponents is even worse as well as not having self-esteem of one’s own possibilities. I wouldn’t have imagined it: it will be a beautiful moment“, the words of Spalletti, former Empoli coach, who then leaves the floor to Guglielmo Vicario…
