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Luciano Spalletti wanted his Italy team to remember against Spain. “We all have our stories that we like to share,” he said before the game. “The players will see when they are my age; they will need their own tales to tell. This is a game that can give them one.”
These players left with a horror story. Spain obliterated the defending champions, a score of 1-0, which greatly understates their superiority. Perhaps one day Giovanni Di Lorenzo will get some time from recounting the time he was run over by a young Nico Williams, and Ricardo Calafiori can laugh at the own goal he scored in his fourth appearance for Italy. Right now, their focus will be on changing their fortunes in this tournament.
It would have been easy for Spalletti to turn Italy’s participation around Euro 2024 as an outsider yarn. He has been in the role for less than a year, inheriting a squad with a handful of remnants from the group that triumphed in this competition three years ago and which failed to qualify for the World Cup for either side. But avoiding pressure is not his style.
“Uomini forti, destini forti” is Spalletti’s mantra – “Strong people, strong destinies”. These words were even painted on his car, previously nondescript Fiat Pandaby a popular graffiti artist after he led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years.
The full version it also includes the parallel statement: that weak people have weak destinies and “there is no other way.” In practice, the phrase boils down to the belief that success will only be achieved by taking ownership of your responsibilities and having the courage of your convictions.
Ahead of this tournament, Spalletti spoke of proudly carrying the status of defending champion, saying his players should know they are “heroes and giants” to 60 million people at home. He deflected questions about whether Italy could win it all because it was meaningless. In Spalletti’s vision, they should aim to play good football first and believe that this will get them where they want to go.
He returned to that theme ahead of the match against Spain, saying it would be a “huge mistake” for Italy to be deferential and accept that these opponents are better. Spalletti’s ambition for Italy to play a game focused on possession and perhaps even “dominate every now and then” will appear painfully naive.
They managed four shots, none of which seriously troubled Unai Simon. Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made eight saves and was saved twice by the goal. It was a cruel twist that his partial interception of Williams’ cross should have led to the decisive own goal, pushing the ball to Calafiori, who it deflected into the net. They were two of the few Italy players to come into the first 55 minutes with some credit.
After the match, Spalletti alternated between challenge and distraction, scribbling at times on a pad as he spoke. “I would still like to get people to understand the importance of trying to dictate the game,” he said. “If you just try to hinder a team like that, it becomes very difficult in the long run.”
He presented Italy’s struggles as a matter of conditions. “Maybe I should have given them more time to recover [after Italy’s opening game against Albania]” he said, before countering with the line that those choices were informed by GPS tracking data.
In the words of linebacker Brian Cristante, “now is not the time to cry about it.” Italy will play their decisive final match in Group B against Croatia on Monday. The Azura they are currently second and a draw would guarantee them passage to the knockouts. But World Cup semi-finalists Croatia will be throwing everything they have at chasing victory after picking up one point from their opening two games.
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Defeat would not necessarily eliminate Italy, but would leave them dependent on results elsewhere. There is a scenario where they could drop to the bottom of Group B if Albania beat Spain, which is likely to give the top-placed players a rest.
Spalletti is expected to make changes. His frustration with individual performances was made clear on the ‘Spalletti-cam’ rolled out by broadcaster Sky Sport Italia against Spain, which showed him chastising Jorginho for not coming on the ball. The Arsenal man was substituted at the break and could lose his place.
It is not clear who will replace him. Cristante, who came on for Jorginho against Spain and was immediately booked for a reckless challenge, offers a more solid defensive presence but less control. Juventus midfielder Niccolò Fagioli has played well in pre-tournament friendlies, but is he ready to start such an important game after missing most of last season serving a betting penalty?
Genoa’s Matteo Reteghi looks likely to get his chance up front after Gianluca Scamcca once again failed to replicate his Atalanta form for the national team. Lazio’s Mattia Zaccani could also be considered for a role after supplying some of the energy Spalletti was looking for from the bench against Spain.
Whoever starts, the approach is unlikely to change. Croatia is another team that values possession, even holding a greater share than Spain when they met in the first round – something neither team has done in a competitive match for 16 years. Yet a midfield of Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic is likely to dissuade Spalletti from his belief that Italy should aim to dictate play.
“If you’re a team that just runs, that doesn’t play the ball, that just gives the ball to the opposition, that’s not the kind of football I like,” he said. “It’s a difficult style to teach because I don’t know how to do it. I’m the least suitable person for this.
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