Luciano Spalletti’s Italy restarts after Euro 2024 flop. Nations League with a view to the 2026 World Cup
The harsh elimination suffered by Italy in the round of 16 of Euro 2024 is behind them: Luciano Spalletti’s Italy restarts from the Nations League with a view to a two-year period leading up to the 2026 World Cup in the United States (with some matches in Mexico and Canada). No room for mistakes, after two failed qualifications for the FIFA World Cup under previous management (first Ventura and then Mancini). “This is the time to test the young, I’m going to try to create a new group with less pressure on them and making them recognize the beauty of wearing a shirt like that of the national team”, the words of the Italian coach at Coverciano. “Now we find ourselves here as part of the national team and we have all the characteristics to be able to do well. There are players who have an illustrious past in this call-up. We are dealing with a team that has great quality, great possibility of leveling up. It is clear that then what makes the difference are the physical condition and the interpretative and request development of the match, what you do in the match makes the difference and in this we will try to leave the players more free to put their quality into practice because they have quality”.
Italy, Spalletti restarts in Nation League with 3-5-2 (and Tonali’s recovery)
The new blue course? Luciano Spalletti has clear ideas on the module: “We will always play with a three-man defense. This transformation has created difficulties for the players. The players will have to be freer, I don’t want to cage the talent of my players. There will be tactical passages that need more time.”
It will therefore be an Italy with 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1. Details. In view of the difficult Nations League match on the pitch of France (Friday 6th September, then on the 9th against Israel) there are some important absences: Barella remained in Milan to have his nose operated on.
Federico Chiesa also out: the coach wanted to call up the former Juve player, but Liverpool asked him to keep him in order to find the best conditions: “I explained to him what my thoughts were and he told me that with the new club he had to adapt to the new working methods. We were all convinced that it would be better for him to develop these new working methods. In any case, he will be part of the group”.
Doubt Bastoni: the Inter defender is among those called up, but has a strain on his right leg (“We’ll evaluate it day by day”).
Italy welcomes back a leader of the caliber of Sandro Tonali. “He’s a player we have a lot of faith in and he’s coming in. He’s one of the players I’ve heard from most in this period. The boy has thought a lot and that’s one more reason to bring him with us.”
In view of France, in front of captain Donnarumma the 3 man defense should see Cats, Good Morning and Calafiori. On the bands Change (or By Lorenzo) And Dimarco. In the middle of the field? Frattesi, Beans (but be careful of that) Tonal) And Curls in the middle. Attacking pair with a first striker, Network ahead of Moses Keanand a second more mobile one, Zaccagni favorite on Raspadori.
France-Italy and Israel-Italy, Luciano Spalletti’s squad for the Nations League
Goalkeepers
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham);
Defenders
Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Caleb Okoli (Leicester), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham)
Midfielders
Marco Brescianini (Atalanta), Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Turin), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle)
Attackers
Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).
Nations League, the new formula
From September to November 2024, Italy will play six matches against the three opponents in the group: France, Israel and Belgium. The rules are changing: now the first two pass of the group, who will play the quarter-finals (home and away) in March 2025. The winners of the quarter-finals will then obtain the pass to the Finals, scheduled for June 2025 at the home of one of the four finalists. The fourth-placed team in the group will be relegated to League B.while the third will play a play-off to avoid relegation with one of the second-placed teams in League B. The finalist national teams will have a pass to the 2026 World Cup play-offs.
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