According to La Repubblica newspaper, Italy players and Luciano Spalletti didn’t get along during EURO 2024 due to the coach’s tactical requests and the lack of cohesion inside the group.
La Repubblica reports that Italy players and their coach Spalletti didn’t get along during the latest European Championship, which ended with elimination in the Round of 16 at the hands of Switzerland.
According to the report, the team wanted an ‘easy script’ to put into practice, while the coach expected a different commitment in games and training sessions.
There were no leaders such as Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, so this ‘strengthened’ certain groups inside the dressing room and the team was never really united.
Repubblica: Why Spalletti and Italy players didn’t get along
According to the report, players were unhappy with the preparation for the Euros, which they expected to be more focused on intensity. Repubblica adds that some footballers didn’t even agree with including Nicolò Fagioli in the final 26-man squad, as the Juventus midfielder had dragged Sandro Tonali into a betting scandal this past October.
Generally, Italy players were sceptical about Spalletti’s tactics, which they saw as too elaborate for such a short tournament.
Surely, Spalletti and his players didn’t understand each other. According to the report, the footballers were surprised by the CT when he announced several line-up changes hours before the final group stage game against Croatia.
Italy will return to the pitch in September for the Nations League, and Spalletti has already announced some changes, saying that he will call younger players with more physicality.
Spaletti is a disgrace and now he is basically putting the blame on the players, shameless !
Never ever liked Spalletti. NEVER. He should be kicked out. Arrogant little man.
It was doomed from the start, Spalletti is Ventura 2.0.
@Omar at least Ventura had a better pool to pick from, Spaletti was sort of forced to do more yet he bottled it and treated the NT like it’s a club. Di Lorenzo was atrocious every single match yet basically played the whole tournament, of that’s not enough, playing Fagioli who basically missed the whole season was an amateurs mistake. What on earth was Cristante doing in the 26 squad and Locatelli sent home baffles me but the absolute worst decision is to start ElSharawy (who played in China 2 years ago) instead of the striker that TOOK YOU THROUGH the group stage in the 98th minute (knowing that Italy are very harsh on strikers coz Catenaccio seems to still be in the back of their head).
Speechless yet I could go on, these were the 3 most crucial but not focusing on intensity when without it, you are sweet for the opponents is ludicrous I’m not surprised the players were down bad before they even started (not to excuse them)
This is not a criticism of Andre, but saying that it was a mistake to play Fagioli because he “basically missed the whole season” greatly ignores Italian precedent. Remember a ragazzo named Paolo Rossi?