When he was there…things went the same way. Even with Arrigo Sacchi at the helm of the national team, the Azzurri missed out on reaching the quarterfinals of the European Championships. It was 1996 in England, an adventure that ended in the group stage against Germany and the Czech Republic, future protagonists of the final decided by a ‘Golden Goal’ by Oliver Bierhoff. This, however, did not prevent Arrigo Sacchi from “raging” towards his successor Luciano Spalletti. The former coach’s commentary in the Gazzetta dello Sport was very harsh after Italy’s defeat against Switzerland in Berlin and their early exit from Euro 2024.
Sacchi pans Italy’s final years: “Unacceptable”
A very harsh comment starting from the title: “Italy unacceptable”. In the article, the former prophet from Fusignano explains that he was disoriented by the vision of the Azzurri: “Such an attitude is not acceptable. We didn’t go to the World Cup twice in a row, then we won the European Championship in 2021 with Mancini and now we make this fool of ourselves: what should we think?”. It’s still: “What do you want me to say about a match like this? Italy didn’t play, there wasn’t an Italian player who did anything noteworthy, who made an impression or who, at least, demonstrated that he had an idea.”
Zero on Italy’s report card, for Arrigo there are precise responsibilities
For Sacchi, this Italy deserves only one vote: “Absolute zero. Switzerland was superior to us in everything: grit, technique, tactics, spirit of sacrifice. Spalletti’s team, from the start, seemed dazed. In front of the TV I asked myself: is it possible that we have fallen so low? Is it possible that overpaid players are not capable of interpreting an opponent’s action and countering it effectively? Is it possible that, with the ball at their feet, no one has a sense of the game, of the rhythm, of the dribble?”. For Sacchi this means only one thing: “That the Italian football needs a profound renewalthat you have to sit there and think and understand the things that work.”
Sacchi’s solution to the problems of Italian football: “The nurseries”
The former Milan coach points out the problem and also suggests the solution: “I believe that our teams, and our youth sectors, are stuffed with too many foreigners. Reread history and you will discover that every time we favored the invasion of players from abroad, Italy got into trouble. We don’t let kids grow, we don’t give them the technical, tactical and moral knowledge fundamental for the development of an athlete. In general, except during major events, there isn’t the attention that the national team deserves. How many federal centers do we have? One. The other countries have six-seven, at least. This means that we do not stimulate growth. We need new courses for coaches, a school of teachers who teach football must be created.”
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