Ex-Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi refused to blame Luciano Spalletti after a 1-0 loss to Spain, but other Italian pundits suggest the Azzurri should have been more humble while the CT had the starting line-up and even the substitutions wrong.
It’s a bitter day for the Azzurri who lost 1-0 to Spain on Thursday night after a successful EURO 2024 debut against Albania.
Ex-Italy coach Sacchi refused to blame CT Spalletti, but the general mood in the country is very different.
Sky Sport Italia Beppe Bergomi, a 1982 Italy World Cup winner, said Italy didn’t accept Spain’s superiority in the early stages and were not humble enough.
There were comparisons with the latest meeting with Spain at the European Championships in 2021 when La Roja dominated proceedings, but Italy emerged victorious on penalties.
“They played better than us, but we didn’t struggle as much as this time,” argued the ex-defender.
La Gazzetta dello Sport criticised Spalletti’s substitutions. Those that he made and those he didn’t make.
“Spalletti remains an excellent coach, but some of his decisions were not convincing,” said the newspaper’s deputy editor Stefano Agresti.
“Starting with the decision to start Di Lorenzo against Nico Williams and then the decision to keep him on the pitch for so long. The starting line-up was wrong and the first substitutions were just as unconvincing before Di Lorenzo remained on the pitch with Chiesa. Spain destroyed Italy on that flank in the first half.
“It is not Spalletti’s fault because Italy players don’t have as much quality as Spain players, but this time some of his decisions were not entirely convincing.”
Former Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni also blamed Spalletti and probably delivered the toughest verdict.
“It’s an enormous step back. A true failure of the Spalletti project,” he told RAI.
“Against Albania, we saw a propositive team for 70 minutes, but this time with Jorginho and Chiesa’s substitutions, he proved that he no longer believed in it. He distorted the team too much in the second half.”
Spalletti admits making a mistake for Spain game but Italy style won’t change