The background on penalties: «Many didn’t want to take them»
Responding to a question about the blue shirt seen almost as a burden by his players, the coach explained how the appeal for possible penalty takers went. «I don’t know that the blue jersey could become a burden, but after this match we will try to understand and above all we will look for answers. Before leaving the morning meeting, we asked who would feel like taking the penalty kick and there were several who didn’t raise their arm, who didn’t want to beat him – underlines the blue coach -. These tests will also be carried out here to understand who feels capable of managing this pressure, but a complete and honest story must be given. Not just to make a fuss, because there is already dust about her.”
Lack of personality and doubts
The sarcastic smile at the end of the short anecdote shows how surprised Spalletti was and ultimately disappointed by the lack of personality of his team, which unlike the matches against Albania and Croatia did not react to the difficulties. Then we can discuss whether or not the appeal for possible penalties was appropriate: already insinuating the hypothesis of that scenario in the heads of the players, instead of also mentally aiming to win the match, may have sown further doubts in a team that has never felt safe on the pitch. For too many tactical and technical experiments. Perhaps also for the psychological ones.
