On the eve of the away match against Macedonia, the new head coach, making his debut on the Italian national team’s bench, spoke about the team’s goals.
Luciano Spalletti, making his debut on the Italian national team’s bench, spoke about the team’s goals just ahead the match against North Macedonia. The coach didn’t hide his enthusiasm. Even when talking about the captain’s armband, he mentioned, ‘It will be Immobile‘s, with Donnarumma as vice, until the end of the European Championship., after that we’ll see.’
The new adventure of the Azzurri coach begins in Skopje: ‘We have strong players; we have everything we need to play good football, but we must be organized. Organization also means giving space for creativity and imagination. We wont ever make excuses: if others are better, we will congratulate them.’
Behind Spalletti’s smiles, there was certainly a bit of emotion. He doesn’t start with a friendly match like Mancini, Ventura, Conte, Prandelli, Donadoni, or Lippi, but in the midst of European qualifications.
‘What I want is the right attitude throughout the game. We should try to implement what we’ve worked on all week. Then we hope the result will be a consequence, which isn’t always the case.
We shouldn’t only think about attacking. What matters is reading the the game, knowing how to defend, like all the top teams do. The goal is to make people fall in love with our game. Not all results can be beautiful, but we always give passion and love, that’s for sure.’
THE LOSS IN PALERMO
In response to a Macedonian journalist’s question about the 0-1 loss in Palermo, the coach couldn’t be clearer: ‘We’ve seen those images many times, in fact, our analysis started from there because it was easier to give examples since many were present.’ These are games that should not be repeated, but don’t forget ‘Macedonia is strong, especially at home, they take on a leading role, they’re very physical, they move well in spaces, and they excel at playing a low block. We’ll need to move the ball quickly to break down their defensive line.’
ELJIF ELMAS
Among the Macedonian team, there’s also Eljif Elmas, who the coach says, ‘is like a son who has given me all the support possible. He’s strong, very strong, and will give us problems. And tomorrow when we look for each other for a hug, we’ll both be emotional.
THE CAPTAIN AND BUFFON
The captain’s armband goes to Ciro Immobile, the most capped player with 56 appearances, followed by Donnarumma with 54.
‘Until the European Championship it will go like that, then we’ll see if we need to change anything. I don’t like the system based solely on appearances. For me, the captain is someone who commands respect in the locker room, is a friend to all, generous, and even appreciated by rivals.’
A non-playing captain with the national team is Gian Luigi Buffon, to whom Spalletti extends his appreciation before closing the interview: ‘I knew him from random encounters, at restaurants and such. In a week, I’ve discovered a person who will give us so much with his stories and experiences. I’ve found a friend.
