On the night of 11 July 2021 we left Wembley very late, after having written all the triumphal pieces about the European Championship final we had just won. We walked on shards of glass and various rubbish because at the entrance the English, already drunk, had thrown beer bottles in the air to make them fall to the ground, especially when groups of Italians passed by. But that filthy asphalt was a red carpet and we walked on it with our chests out, champions of Europe, in a fairytale silence, because the English, humiliated, had holed up in their little houses. They were sure of breaking the atavistic fast that has lasted since 1966, especially after Shaw’s advantage, but instead Bonucci rinsed his mouth, Chiellini took the whole of England by the hood and Donnarumma had strangled the last penalty.
a thousand days
—
We thought back to those emotions the other night, when, having finished writing the sad pieces on Italy-Switzerland, we left the Olympiastadion in Berlin that had made us happy in 2006. There was no silence. The Germans who had just defeated Denmark were celebrating, and of course the Swiss who had never beaten us before. Now they have pelted us with balls and humiliated us. We, the champions of Europe. What happened from London to Berlin in these 1087 days? Why did the carriage turn into a pumpkin? Everything went downhill very quickly. Already in the first outing as rulers (Florence, 2-9-21), debut in the World Cup qualifiers, a sinister noise: Italy-Bulgaria 1-1. A spectacular first half that could have ended in a goleada, then an anomalous decline for a national team that Roberto Mancini had trained to attack at all costs, even when in the lead. But the subsequent celebration with Lithuania (5-0), which coincided with the new world record (37th useful result) convinced everyone that Florence had only been a cold. Instead, the two draws with Switzerland and the one with Northern Ireland, which greatly complicated our path towards Qatar, demonstrated that it was something more.
apocalypse
—
Only one goal in 3 games: the path that led to the goal was lost. The Italy that emerged from Belfast was extraordinarily similar to the one that had just been driven out of Germany. An inclined plane that led to the Apocalypse of Palermo: Italy-Macedonia 0-1 in the play-off semi-final for access to Qatar. Bad luck, of course, 32 shots to 4, 16 corners to 0, but the trauma of the second World Cup missed in a row, lost against such a modest opponent, was powerful. Not treating him with a group resignation, as in the previous case, was a daring stunt, probably wrong. But Mancio had gathered Italy from the rubble of the first Apocalypse and brought it to the top of Europe, enchanting everyone with a revolutionary game compared to Italian tradition, made of beauty and domination. That miracle was the rag that absorbed the embarrassing Macedonian stain. When we say “wrong”, it is not to say that Mancini deserved to be sacked, but because he was no longer the real Mancini. Macedonia had broken something inside him.
not yet ct
—
A year after the triumph, he returned to Wembley to clearly lose the Grand Final to Argentina: 3-0. He led the same old heroes. The replacement had taken too long, he who even as number 10 was ahead of everyone with his visions. A few backheels (Gnonto, Retegui), but he had lost the magic touch and the fire in his eyes. Severely defeated in Germany (5-2), in Naples by England (2-1) and by Spain (2-1) in the Nations League finals (2-1). The federal counter-espionage should have intercepted this tiredness earlier and anticipated the disastrous resignation on August 15th. The choice of the best player on the pitch (Spalletti) was timely and prestigious to spend, but there wasn’t time to consider how an excellent coach can be a good coach. Arrigo Sacchi, who has the same mystique of everyday work, reached the final of USA ’94, but he had Baggio and the help of his Milan block. Yesterday Spalletti’s former assistant, Calzona, without too much dialectic, but with more experience in the role (22 benches) was about to accomplish the feat of eliminating England with a humble Slovakia, but passionate and organized as the Italy. Yesterday Spalletti explained that he still has to fully learn the job of being a coach. But there’s no time. He must qualify Italy who cannot lose their third World Cup in a row. Without having Bellingham and Kane. And without the Mancio rag to go through. It’s hard.
