Leonardo Bonucci says Italy players took the praise for UEFA EURO 2020 and must therefore shoulder the blame for the World Cup flop, but it’s now time to climb back up. ‘We’ve already done it once.’
The Azzurri failed to qualify for both the 2018 and the 2022 World Cup finals, losing play-offs to Sweden and North Macedonia.
This latest setback was particularly galling, as it game less than a year after Italy were crowned Champions of Europe.
Juventus centre-back Bonucci was out injured for the 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia on Thursday evening.
“The two emotions are polar opposites,” wrote Bonucci on Instagram.
“The great euphoria and joy of this summer countered by the disappointment and bitterness of this exclusion, made even worse by the face I was unable to help my teammates for those 90 minutes.
“Now it is the moment to look forward. This summer we took the praise and the credit for doing something unique, today we must take responsibility for not earning our place, which was more down to our own mistakes than the efforts of others.
“It is time for analysis, concrete and deep focus, to start again, to give Italy and the Italians what they deserve. We’ve already done it once.
“The climb back up has already begun, for me, for us. It will be a hard slog to get back to the top, but we have already proved we know how to do it. The future is now.”
While Giorgio Chiellini may well retire at the end of the season, Bonucci is set to remain a mainstay of both Juventus and the Italy squad going forward.
The Nazionale will play a friendly against Turkey, who lost their World Cup play-off 3-1 to Portugal, on Tuesday evening, but it is unlikely Bonucci will be risked after muscular issues.