Luciano Spalletti vowed that he will ‘build a new team’ after Italy’s disappointment at EURO 2024 this summer, and gave specific details about how he plans to set the squad up tactically.
Spalletti sat down for his press conference ahead of Nations League fixtures against France and Israel on Friday and next Monday, respectively.
The CT spent a lot of time analysing the shortcomings at the European Championship, apologising to fans for the experience they went through, and taking all the responsibility away from his players.
Spalletti suggested that he demanded too much from his team, particularly in defence and in the build-up. His reaction will be to set a clear and constant formation, and to give more freedom to his players on the pitch.
Spalletti reflects on EURO 2024 showing
Asked if he had any reflections after the EUROs, Spalletti said: “There were many. There are always lots of different factors, never just one in a game like that.
“I had a bad summer, a very bad one. The conversations at the time tell you that. When we talk about failure at the EUROs, we need to be more precise in our analysis, because in my opinion, it only relates to the game against Switzerland, (which was) very bad.
“We did badly against Spain as well, we were put under pressure, but Spain’s victory puts our bad match against them into perspective a bit. The game against Switzerland, though, was very bad in terms of attitude, we surrendered. We did not do justice to our strength or history, I feel responsible for what happened.”
Though he feels that Italy only had one or two particularly bad games, he doesn’t think that it was because of the players.
“Everything that happens lies with me 100%, then I might give 1% of the blame to my staff, but the players are exempt from that responsibility.
“I probably put too much pressure on them and I did not give them the opportunity to enjoy the experience in an Italy shirt. I have to be careful with trying new things, or trying to bring a new message. I have to be the first to believe that we have a different strength compared to what we have shown in the past.
“I am the first one who does not want to give up in the face of difficulty and we have to have faith in the work that is carried out moving forwards. The players who were with me in Germany are not responsible, nor are the ones who stayed at home.”
Spalletti vows that this can be a turning point for the Italy national team.
“Now, we turn a new page and from now on, we have to think more about our identity. I think this is the time to try something different. This, inevitably, means excluding some players. I am going to create a new group, a new team, putting less pressure on them and hopefully they feel the beauty of the Azzurri shirt even more.”
Spalletti explains Chiesa absence and Tonali call-up
Spalletti explained that he wanted to bring Federico Chiesa with him for the camp, even if he wasn’t going to play, but explained why he had to stay in England with his new team, Liverpool.
“Chiesa and I spoke and made a fair assessment. I would have brought him as an extra player, not participating in the games. He told me that he had spoken to his new club and that he needs to do specific preparation work with them.”
There is a space for Sandro Tonali, though, following his return to competitive action last week.
“Tonali, on the other hand, trained regularly. He is a player we have a lot of faith in, so he is coming with us. He is one of those who I have spoken to probably more than anyone else in this recent period, the boy has done a lot of reflecting and this is another reason to bring him with us.”
Spalletti reveals Italy formation
Spalletti then revealed what formation his Italy team will use moving forwards.
“The team’s tactics also came into the reflections we mentioned earlier. Among the requests that were slightly too demanding was our defending in a four and building with a three, changing systems during the match and that was probably a mistake.
“I want to remove this doubt now, we will always play 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1. If you play the game with two strikers, it becomes easy, starting with 3-5-2 or 3-5-1-1, or 3-4-2-1.
The CT on his period of personal reflection
Spalletti then opened up on his period of reflection after the early exit from the EUROs.
“You have to be objective and make the right assessments: I hope that other players felt as uncomfortable as I did during the summer.
“I did nothing but think about returning to the national team in the summer, I spent three days in Ponza and then at home in the countryside. I didn’t go anywhere. It bothered me that I made the Italian fans go through a moment like that against Switzerland.”
Spalletti feels that the summer is now behind the team, and is excited to get back to work.
“Today is a good day for me and the team. We are here to be a part of the national team. We have all the characteristics to do well. We have players who have made history in past call-ups. We are dealind with a team that has a lot of quality, and a massive possibility of reaching higher levels.
“What makes the difference is the physical condition and the interpretation of the match. What you do in the game makes all the difference and we will try to give them more freedom to put their quality into practice, because the players will have quality.”