The coach of the national team on the eve of the last friendly in which he will return to double play: “For Niccolò it’s tiring and therefore we have to wait a bit. Scamacca and Buongiorno are starters”
From our correspondent Luigi Garlando
June 8, 2024 (changed at 6.53pm) – FLORENCE
“I bought all the tickets for Empoli. The stadium will be full of my friends. I played in Empoli, I started training the youth, then the first team. I will be at home.” Tomorrow Luciano Spalletti will take his last test at his home, against Bosnia, before his debut at Euro ’24: Italy-Albania, 15 June, Dortmund. From rookie coach to national team coach: the emotion of those who return to the root of the dream.
Spalletti, is there optimism for Barella?
“There has always been optimism from the first moment. But when there is fatigue, a few days must always pass to clarify the situation. Now it is clearer: we are very confident that he can be there on his debut with Albania.”
Does Orsolini’s rejection also mean the rejection of 4-2-3-1?
“No, it just means that Cambiaso, Chiesa, Pellegrini or others can play in that position.”
What do you expect in Empoli compared to Bologna?
“I expect to see the analysis done after Bologna put into practice. I expect to see what we tried and therefore a better performance. More attention in preventive measures, more quality in ball and passing management. More research to go in attack over the line or coming towards it, more overall movement of the strikers to make marking more difficult, not floating static at the edge of the area.”
England and Germany also struggled in the preparation tests. Where do you place Italy?
“I don’t know, but I know where we came from and we must not forget it. When I arrived, there was an open wound. The European Championship took place three years ago, after which we were eliminated from the World Cup. Tell these people guys who have to win the tournament to be worthy of the shirt, it’s not fair; we don’t do their good, we don’t help them to play lightly. We don’t want to put pressure on ourselves and become our own hackers.”
Pellegrini took number 10: will it matter?
“For the qualities he has, Pellegrini can be the number 10 of the national team, because he is of that type: he has feet, touch, he sees beyond the first pass, he jumps the man in tight spots, he knows how to take free kicks. He has everything.”
Did you like Fagioli’s performance in Bologna?
“Yes and he will also have space in Empoli, alongside Jorginho. We must increase the quality under construction to serve the two attacking midfielders who will attack the spaces well and with timing. We will have to create a compact block in the center of the pitch that can lower itself into our half and attack theirs. By attacking centrally, it will also be easier to react after a lost ball. If we spread out on the flanks, it is easier to suffer counterattacks.”
Will he play Buongiorno?
“Yes, he’ll start like Scamacca.”
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