Il day after Italy-Switzerland it is the day of controversy, of the obsessive search for the causes of a debacle that in some ways seemed to have been announced. But above all it is the day in which the dock is filled to the brim. In the front row there are Luciano Spalletti and the president of the FIGC, Gabriele Gravina, but not even the players of the Italian national team are spared. The entire football system is under accusation.
Italy: The Lack of Talent
England could have been Italy’s opponent in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. But after the Azzurri’s misstep, the English also came close to a sensational elimination against Slovakia by Calzona. Just one Bellingham magic in the 95th minute overhead kick and Kane’s goal allow Southgate’s team to continue their journey. From a playing point of view, England did not do much more than Italy did yesterday against Switzerland. The difference? Bellingham’s talent (sensational) and that of Kane. A talent that Italy seems to chase and never manage to reach.
Social media calls for Balotelli
The problems for theItaly by Luciano Spalletti they seem to be in all departments but the ones that are most worrying are in attack. The Italian coach has tried a bit of everyone up front: Scamacca, Retegui, Raspadori, Church but the long-awaited spark did not come from anyone. Italy, capable of producing players of the caliber of Totti and Del Piero to the point of thinking about sensational relays, he is now struggling to produce a player who is able to make the difference with individual plays. The thought immediately turns to Germany-Italy, 28 June, semi-final of the 2012 European ChampionshipsThe attacking duo is formed by Cassano and Balotelli, when you say genius and wildness but the great protagonist is precisely Super Mario who in the first half scored a brace that allowed the Azzurri to reach the final.
Two goals, one more beautiful than the other, which are the concentration of all the technical skills of Mario Balotelli. The first as a penalty area attacker, frees himself from the marking of the direct defender to find the goal with a header on a perfect assist from Cassano. The second is to tear your hands dry with a right-footed shot in which he expresses all his class and power. Now after the defeat against Switzerlandon social media Italian fans are once again talking about him as the best talent that Italy has produced in the last 15 years.
Balotelli drunk on the streets of Udine
But if Balotelli has not managed to reach the levels that many expected he could reach, it is above all due to his attitude especially off the pitch. And just as the fans invoke his name, a video shot on Saturday evening also appears on social media. The striker is on holiday in Lignano Pineta, in the province of Udine, a few drinks too many, staggers and falls into the street. A friend tries to hold him but he struggles to get up. And the story of what could have been the “savior” sadly goes viral.
