Luciano Spalletti, Italy's coach, spoke to the FIGC's official channels on the eve of their Nations League debut against France at the Parc des Princes. After the team's disappointing results at Euro 2024, the Italian coach expressed optimism for the team's future, highlighting the progress made in training: “I have seen beautiful things these days. There has been participation, availability and trust in what we are building. These are important values and they have given me back my smile after the European Championship.”
Italy, who reached the final stages of the last two editions of the Nations League, cannot afford any more slip-ups. Spalletti reiterated the importance of approaching each match with the right mentality: “We can’t underestimate anything, especially after the poor showing we made at the European Championships. We made changes in training, but now we have to show them on the pitch. It’s essential to regain our self-confidence and show it to the fans, who have to believe in us again.”
Regarding training choices, Spalletti he declared to be satisfied with the quality level of the squad: “I see very little difference between who I choose and who I leave out. There is so much quality in all the guys.” Finally, the Italian coach analyzed the opponents, Didier Deschamps' France, focusing on the danger of the transalpines, especially on the counterattack: "They have top-level players. We must always be a team and be careful of their counterattacks."
“Mbappé? He is marked with the help of the whole team. They are good at making you believe they have control of the game, but as soon as they recover the ball they exploit the open spaces with deep runs behind the defensive line, and this is difficult to manage.” Spalletti concluded with an appeal to the pride of wearing the blue shirt: “We have to show our pride, especially after the disappointment of the European Championship. Now it's time to respond on the pitch.”
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