“Spalletti stays, but big disappointment”

After Italy’s disaster in the round of 16 of Euro 2024, “Spalletti remains, abandoning the three-year project is unthinkable”. The assures it president of the FIGC Gabriele Gravinain a press conference at Casa Azzurri in Iserlohn, the day after the defeat against Switzerland.

“The disappointment remains for not having been able to demonstrate everything that was done in the preparation phase“, he says, adding: “And above all, not being able to see first-hand the capacity of the character of our Italian character which comes out in moments of difficulty, in reacting to some objective limits that we have always demonstrated, not knowing how to make up for it with a different reaction compared to what which we experienced first hand yesterday. We must all reflect on this.”

“Spalletti stays. We had a long chat with the coach: I’m pragmatic and I think it is it is unthinkable to solve the problems by abandoning a project that from the first moment we said would be three-year. You cannot think of abandoning a project after 8/9 months of activity. Something needs to be changed, something needs to be reviewed in terms of approach. There will be deep reflections, last night we started discussing with Spalletti. We all have to grow”, says Gravina again.

“Spalletti he has our trust, he has to work -he adds -. A new appointment begins in 60 days, we cannot think that in 60 days the Mbappè, Ronaldo and Messi will flourish in Italy. It requires patience. We only have one need: to activate the policy of valorising the talent that exists. All our national youth teams have qualified for the final phase. But we cannot think of winning the European Championship when they demonstrated quality but zero attendance.”

“I don’t run away from responsibility. Criticism hurts like instrumental criticism linked to a request for resignation. Constructive criticism doesn’t, it must be listened to. There is no way that someone can govern our world from the outside, this is true for politics as well as for all the others who ask for the resignation of both Gravina and Spalletti. It doesn’t exist”, he continues. “The FIGC elections cannot be held before the Olympics, we will hold them at the first available date. Criticisms yes but let’s make them constructive”, adds the number one in Italian football.

“There is the awareness of not being able to miss the appointment with the next World Cup. Then we always have to deal with reality, none of us are able to guarantee a result except through commitment. Since 2018, the Federation’s choice for nurseries has always been to finance all basic activities. We need to broaden the base of selectable players, in 60 days we will approach the Nations League which has great importance in terms of ranking”, Gravina’s words. “These are the players we have, we are a little further away than the objectives we had set ourselves but we can’t give up – underlines the number one in Italian football -. We need to raise awareness as best we can and bring out the best in these kids. We know that yesIt would be an unimaginable disaster not to qualify for the third time in a row“.

“Should I run again for the presidency of the FIGC? It is absolutely premature to say soI did not dwell on the desire and enthusiasm to continue on this path which is very demanding”, he then said.

“The boys were mortified, sorry, disappointed as we are and all the Italian fans, the biggest disappointment is that they were unable to demonstrate how much they worked. I am disappointed by the performance, yes, but not by the boys, they are the baggage on which we must insist”, he then commented on yesterday’s defeat against Switzerland.

And again: “The boys from the youth selections have zero appearances, there is no valorization. We have relaunched the second teams but we have Primavera teams with 100% foreigners. We have a wealth of valuable talents but the pursuit of maximizing results does not allow us to have patience in their valorization. The Under 17s winning 3-0 against Portugal shows that you have extraordinary kids. But sometimes they don’t even play in the Primavera championship,” he explains.

Spalletti: “I am primarily responsible, I will rejuvenate the team”

“I am the one with the most responsibility, but it is a game that I do not play, that of going back, in my life I have always been careful about what I have to do next, I cannot go back, it is clear that from what has been seen I have made some mistakes, I have tried to rejuvenate the team a little, since I am staying here, in the future even more will be done”, says the technical commissioner of the national team, Luciano Spalletti.

“It’s clear – he continued – that the best Spalletti has not been seen, I read that I raised my voice too much, that I have identified examples to follow, but my life is like this, my commitment will obviously be total, with the experiences gained and greater knowledge”.

And again: “We also have to be honest, I came in and there was an immediate need for results. We were good up to a certain point, then we weren’t able to grow along this path and yesterday an unacceptable step backwards was taken.” “.

“We are back to zero. I will try to rejuvenate the squad to recreate a group as soon as possible. The management of some things, such as leaders and lack of personality, did not give me the answers I was looking for. We must create a younger future from the bottom. It is difficult to find players at the level of Chiellini or Bonucci. But it is right to give space to people with personality like Calafiori”, says the Italian coach.

“Yesterday was my most complicated night? No, my life has been complicated, sometimes even managing victories is complicated. I have received many pats on the back, I have made thousands of friends, the most obvious one being the phone call from my daughter Matilde, the ‘I love you’ one. That surpasses everything”, Spalletti’s words.