New Italy coach Luciano Spalletti took his squad out for the first training session of his Azzurri career, as a new era opens for the Nazionale.
Spalletti started by giving a speech to the players as they assembled at the Coverciano training centre.
It was a sudden departure of Roberto Mancini, who tended his resignation on August 13 and just 14 days later signed on as the new coach of the Saudi Arabia national team.
Mancini’s record on the Italy bench was of 39 victories, 13 draws and nine defeats, which saw him lift the EURO 2020 trophy.
Fresh from winning the Serie A title at Napoli, 64-year-old Spalletti will make his debut in Saturday’s trip to North Macedonia, then host Ukraine on September 12.
These are both qualifiers for the EURO 2024 tournament.