Legendary former coach Arrigo Sacchi opened up about Italy’s chances at Euro 2024, explaining how the team ‘can move forward’ with humility and sacrifice.
Luciano Spalletti’s side are only weeks away from taking to the pitch in Germany in the upcoming European Championship, a key tournament for the Azzurri following their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Italy enter the tournament as defending champions, having won the last edition back in 2021, and will face Spain, Croatia and Albania in Group B. First, the Azzurri will play out two friendlies against Turkey and Bosnia.
Sacchi on Italy chances
Speaking on page 11 of today’s Gazzetta dello Sport, Sacchi first weighed in on Italy’s chances at the European Championship.
“We are one of the few great football nations without a school. Every man for himself. Once upon a time you could save yourself because there weren’t many foreigners, but today it’s harder.
“Luckily there is an excellent coach who has demonstrated his skill when he became a strategist. It’s just that he has few strategic players.”
He confirmed that he wasn’t feeling pessimistic ahead of the tournament.
“No, because we can only do better than in the past. We come from two missed World Cups, even if we won the European Championship in the middle, but that intensity has been lost.
“Now it will depend on us. If the players modestly follow what Spalletti says, good. Otherwise, we won’t go far.”
Sacchi touched on the need for Italy to follow Spalletti.
“The players must do what he says, without arguing. You can’t invent automatic mechanisms in about 10 days, but I hope that Spalletti focuses on the most reliable, those who give everything and possibly play strategic football in their clubs.
“There aren’t many, Inter don’t always block, but this year they have grown.”
He was asked about the differences between tactical and strategic coaches.
“If you are a tactician, you never play with 11 men, defenders struggle to advance, attackers struggle to return. You have to play with 11 and 25 meters, 30 would already be too much.
“The closer you are, the more you take courage or receive help from others. And if you have the ball, you have more solutions.”
Sacchi gave his thoughts on Spalletti’s work on a three-man defence.
“If he doesn’t try now, when? He’s smart, let him work. He demonstrated his worth by winning a great Scudetto in Napoli with almost 11 unknowns. And don’t burden some players like Scamacca with responsibility.”
He explained why players like Gianluca Scamacca shouldn’t be burdened with responsibility.
“Because if you say that he must support Italy with his goals you are doing him harm. I know him, he’s a good guy, a good player, but burdening him with responsibility would become a problem.
“Totti in the national team never replicated the greatness of his club work while everyone told him to take over Italy.”
Sacchi discussed Italy’s chances against Spain.
“They have a school, tradition, culture. Spalletti has two weeks to teach him his game, they have a year’s advantage because they already play like this in the clubs. But if you give everything, you are already a winner.”
He also commented on the qualities of Croatia.
“I was in Croatia a year ago to receive an award. They were all in agreement on the type of game to be played and told me: ‘There are 60 million of you, you are a power, we are not little’.
“And I said, ‘No, we are often one and you are eleven’. Macedonia put us out of the World Cup, understand?”
Finally, Sacchi was asked how far he thinks Italy can go at Euro 2024.
“I’m not a fortune teller, but I assure you that if we are humble, we will move forward.”