Luciano Spalletti admitted Italy aren’t considered favourites for the upcoming European Championship, a blessing in disguise for the defending champions.
The Azzurri coach recently gave an interview to Sky Sports Italia, where he underlined how there are teams that ‘are on a higher level’ than his squad, likely referencing sides like France, England and Spain, who have better odds with victory at the bookies.
For some Italy fans, this proved a frustrating comment, with many believing in the team’s chances following their unexpected success at the last edition back in 2021 and the quality of Spalletti’s leadership.
Italy at Euro 2024
For the Azzurri, it’s a blessing in disguise not to be considered favourites for Euro 2024, helping to take off some of the pressure on this young squad and allowing them to focus on the football at hand.
It’s also nothing new for the Italy national team; they weren’t pipped to be winners back at Euro 2020, nor was much expected at the 2006 World Cup in the shadow of the Calciopoli scandal.
The Azzurri are clearly in the early stages of a new project under Spalletti, whose arrival heralded the end of the Roberto Mancini era, and a tournament without pressure could be the perfect environment to see some magic on the pitch.