Gianfranco Zola believes Italy “no longer have players of international value”, insisting “today England is ahead of us”.
The former Chelsea forward scored the winner last time the Azzurri won in London, and he spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of today’s friendly between the two.
“It’s reality, we’re out of the World Cup,” Zola noted.
Gianfranco Zola believes Italy “no longer have players of international value”, insisting “today England is ahead of us”.
The former Chelsea forward scored the winner last time the Azzurri won in London, and he spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of today’s friendly between the two.
“It’s reality, we’re out of the World Cup,” Zola noted.
“I wouldn’t waste time with these considerations though, I would look forward. It’s time to rebuild, we must lay the foundations to bring our football back to high levels.
“Thinking again about what happened makes no sense.
“There is one unmistakable fact: we no longer have players of international value. That then raises the question: why don’t we produce more champions?
“In Italy, apart from [Lorenzo] Insigne and [Simone] Verdi – who has not yet found space in the national team – why don’t we have talents capable of beating a man?
“In three words: talents are missing.
“I think the basic elements of football are two: youth teams and amateurs. In the youth teams, the concept of winning has prevailed over the last few years and not the concept of developing.
“The youth sectors are full of foreigners because they focus on results and not on the growth of talent.
“The amateurs were once formidable, but now they’re crushed by economic crisis and rules that are too strict.
“Why give under-18s and obligatory space and reduce the opportunities for someone between 21 and 25? Mental and physical maturity isn’t the same for everyone.
“Those who take more time no longer get a chance, a [Moreno] Torricelli case is unthinkable today.
“Today England is ahead of us and I don’t think it’s only down to money. They’ve given impetus to the youth sectors.
“We’re a country in difficulty, and football can’t be an island unto itself. We have general problems which are inevitably reflected in sport.
“I would look to Germany. After the reunification, the German state went through a difficult time and even football slipped into a depression, with a rather grey decade between the mid-90s and the 2006 World Cup.
“But Germany had the strength to question itself itself, to self-criticise and to plan the rebirth.
“If there are elements of a certain age still capable of giving something, they must be taken into consideration, but it is clear that we must look to the future.”