The heavy 3-0 defeat against Norway has raised alarm in Italy. Qualification for the next World Cup is seriously compromised and coach Luciano Spalletti is seriously at risk of being fired.
Spalletti in the balance: decisive meeting with Gravina on June 10
The future of the Tuscan coach will be decided in the next few days. "I will speak with Gravina and he will decide", Spalletti declared after the defeat. The meeting between the CT and the federal president is scheduled for Tuesday 10 June, as reported by Sky Sport and Gianluca Di Marzio. Before the match against Moldova, however, there will be no shocks: it remains to be seen whether Spalletti will take a step back with his resignation, or whether the FIGC will officially intervene.
Who after Spalletti? Here are the hypotheses for the National team bench
The big names that were circulating in recent months now seem to have faded: Carlo Ancelotti has begun his new adventure with Brazil, while Massimiliano Allegri seems close to returning to Milan. Three main profiles remain in the running:
- Stefano Pioli, which however will be bound by fiscal commitments in Saudi Arabia until July;
- Claudio Ranieri, who had announced his retirement from football but could be tempted by one last challenge for the Azzurri;
- Daniele De Rossi, a young figure already inserted in the federal mechanisms, but his lack of experience as head coach represents an unknown.
The fate of the Azzurri bench hangs by a thread: in the next few days we will understand if this really is the end of the Spalletti era.
The situation of the national team is very serious, the defeat against Norway has worried everyone. Spalletti must do something to change things, even if now there are many uncertainties about the future of the coach.