Italy without Juventus players? Yes with Chiesa injured and Locatelli on the bench

The alarm bell had already gone off last March 23rd: on the occasion of Italy-England, in Naples, Bonucci’s stand had completely eliminated the presence of Juventus players in the national team, taking it back twenty-nine years. It hadn’t happened since 2018, during a match against Portugal in the Nation League, that there were no Bianconeri among the starting eleven, but in 1994 against Estonia the Juventus representation in Sacchi’s Italy was practically nil between the pitch and the bench. We’re almost there again, considering that only Locatelli, the last veteran among Allegri’s men after Chiesa’s early return, will carry the coat of arms of the Turin club in Spalletti’s first Italy (the instrumental tests carried out in Florence ruled out muscle injuries but the However, the footballer left the training camp in Coverciano as a precaution). The midfielder shouldn’t even start.

generational change

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The moment of restoration at Juventus is known. The club is working on generational change and, having focused on many young people, is able to offer few immediate solutions to the national team. However, strong input has come from the top levels of the club regarding the return to traditions: the ownership’s desire is to soon have good representation in the blue locker room again, as has happened for several years. Several players, who are working these days at Continassa with Allegri to carve out an important space for themselves in the Juve that is emerging, also aim to find the blue again soon. From Kean, who can be a special observer of Spalletti in the selection of the best attackers, to Fagioli, who has never hidden the dream of being an Italian protagonist in the next World Cup in 2026; to Cambiaso, who has just left the Under 21s due to age limits but hopes to be able to return soon among Coverciano’s chosen players. Without forgetting Gatti, who after having had his first season in Serie A is now looking for confirmation and more and more space to also be able to enter the rotations of the defensive department of Spalletti’s selection. Of course, the times of the glorious BBC protecting Buffon, now head of the Italian delegation, seem really far away.