Spalletti: ‘Italy have an obligation at Euro 2024’

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti defended Nicolo Zaniolo and underlined the Azzurri’s ‘obligation’ ahead of next summer’s European Championship.

The 24-year-old Zaniolo has struggled to impress since making the move to Aston Villa in the summer, failing to directly contribute to a single goal across his 16 appearances at the club. His minor involvement in the recent Serie A betting scandal also hasn’t helped his form.

Italy have been drawn into a tough group at Euro 2024, facing off against Spain, Croatia and Albania. Fresh off their World Cup qualification failure, the Azzurri are keen to show their best on the European stage once again, like they did back at Euro 2020.

Speaking to Tg Poste via Calciomercato.com, Spalletti first defended Zaniolo and noted his on-pitch qualities.

“Zaniolo is very strong if you break down the qualities needed to become a top footballer, he has many of them. You just need to ‘clean’ his attention.

“These are guys who have many options available to them and you need to know how to discipline yourself, to have behaviours that can help your profession, it’s not that if someone has certain characteristics they can live on income.”

He touched on the hunger needed from young players.

“After having played in the Primavera, the youngsters must not sit on the bench and make themselves comfortable and wait, they must also gain experience abroad and in second-level teams and then return, once they have completed a journey, to grow and be top level.”

The Italy coach reflected on his time in charge of Napoli.

“It left me so many things. Their passion, their emotional participation put right things that happen to be wrong during a long journey. And having a city with such unbridled love makes it easier to fix what doesn’t go as you would like.

“What came out was an exceptional job by all the components which allowed us to make a beautiful journey in which everyone was equally important.”

He touched on his relationship with Partenopei president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

“Everything is fine with him, he has his role, his ideas. Some things were important for us to reach this goal, but he is a capable and intelligent person. Other things are better left alone because they would have created an obstacle.”

Spalletti looked ahead to next summer’s European Championship.

“There is no easy group in football. And if we look at it from the opponents’ point of view, having caught Italy in the fourth pot is not easy to accept. We have our history and, being reigning champions, we have the obligation to go there and be Italy.”

Finally, Spalletti was asked to name his favourites in the Serie A title race this season.

“I can’t be in favour of anyone but, based on what they have shown, at this moment Inter have indicated that they have a lot of the potential that is needed in a team to win.”