Through the pages of Tuttosport, Mircea Lucescu had his say on Italy’s elimination from Euro 2024, also touching on the topic of young players and the lack of courage of Serie A clubs in launching them: “I have always let good young players play, I made Pirlo debut in Serie A when he had only turned 16 two days before. The age range from 17 to 21 is the most delicate for a player: it is at that moment that he grows, explodes and becomes a champion or disappears. In Italy they send them, when things go well, to Serie B or C and leave them there for a few years, but in doing so they adapt to the level and when they are finally brought to Serie A they clash with players who are already mature without having acquired the right skills”.
So should we make them play in Serie A between the ages of 17 and 21?
“If they are good, why not? It doesn’t take years to consecrate a talent. Someone has to take responsibility for letting them play.”
So the problem is not the national team coach but rather the club coaches?
“It seems obvious to me. Spalletti said that from now on things will change and he will focus more on young people, I have no doubt that he will do it, but we need to see if the coaches of the various teams will help him in this task. They themselves would then benefit from it”.