Live TMW
14.01 – The National team is back on the field. After the disastrous European Championship, Italy is back in Coverciano to prepare for the two Nations League matches against France and Israel, matches that will take place on September 6 and 9 respectively. Luciano Spalletti has been confirmed as coach of the Azzurri, and will take the floor starting at 2:30 p.m.
2.31pm – The press conference begins
What reflections did you have after the European Championship?
“There were many. The factors are always different, there is never just one factor in a match of that type. I had a bad summer, a very bad one. The discussion always went there. When we talk about a European failure we need to do a more correct analysis because in my opinion it refers to that match there, with Switzerland, very bad. Against Spain we also did badly, we were put under pressure, but then Spain’s clear victory puts the bad match against them into perspective a bit. The match against Switzerland, on the other hand, was very bad especially in terms of attitude, we were surrendered. We did not honour our strength and our history: I feel responsible for what happened. Everything that happens around me always depends on me 100%, now I also give 1% to my collaborators but the players are exempt from this responsibility. I probably put too much pressure on them and I did not give them the opportunity to enjoy the Italy shirt. I have to be careful in taking on new things to bring a different message, I have to be the first to believe that you have a different strength compared to what we have shown. I am the first to not want to give up in the face of any difficulty and to have faith in the work that I can carry forward. The players who were with me in Germany are not responsible, nor are those who stayed at home. Now a new page opens and since now we also have to analyze the identity card, I think this is the moment to do something different. This, inevitably, excludes other players. I am going to create a new group, a new team, transferring less pressure on them and making them feel more the beauty of the blue shirt”.
Can you go into more detail about the call-ups and Tonali’s return? Why is Chiesa not there?
“We spoke with Chiesa and made a balanced assessment. I would have brought him as an extra player, not having him participate in the two games. He told me that he had spoken with the new club and needed to do specific preparation to work with them. There was a need to develop a strong, tough training period, he has to adapt to the new working methods and when he spoke with the new managers and I spoke with him, we were all convinced that he had to develop this work because he can be calm to then return to this group. Tonali, on the other hand, trained regularly, he is a player in whom we have a lot of faith and he is coming in. He is one of those who I have spoken to the most in this period, the boy has reflected a lot and this is one more reason to bring him with us”.
How will the game system evolve? What national team do you have in mind?
“In the reflections we were referring to before, there is also the team’s tactics. Among the slightly too demanding requests there was also that of defending with four and building with three, of changing outfits during the match and that was probably a mistake. Now I want to remove this doubt: we will always play 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1. Now if you play the game of double roles it becomes easy starting from 3-5-2 or 3-5-1-1 or 3-4-2-1. Up front you are a little freer to interpret the qualities you have, but the system is the same. I reflected, probably I have to do it differently and this is one of the things I will change. Ricci? He has always played as a midfielder in front of the defence and the fact that he can also play in midfield is something more. It’s an advantage. I called up 23 precise ones and this is also the result of what I thought and saw: by calling up more then the training sessions don’t go at their best, you are there continuously changing and they are not free to train at their best. And then they will feel totally inside the project of these two matches”.
This is the list of 23 players called up
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham);
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Caleb Okoli (Leicester), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham);
Midfielders: Marco Brescianini (Atalanta), Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Turin), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle);
Attackers: Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).