The coach ahead of the Nations League quarter-final scheduled for the end of March: “Let’s win, then we’ll talk about the draw”
“I live 24 hours as a coach, for me it should be written on your identity card that you are coach”. On the FIGC OTT platform Luciano Spalletti jokes about his role as coach, then talks about the next challenges awaiting the Azzurri, starting with the Nations League quarter-final scheduled for March (20th in Italy, 23rd away): ” Which national team will play against Germany?”. The coach, smiling, lists the lineup: “Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori, Barella, Kean, Raspadori, Retegui, Cambiaso, Dimarco and many others. Because we have the possibility of having a group that is now consolidated for what will be ours future”.
the challenge
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There is a lot of anticipation for his first match against Germany: “Italy-Germany is the challenge that a coach must play because someone who coaches the national team and doesn’t play this match is like a coach who coaches Milan and Inter and doesn’t play the derby. Italy-Germany is important for the history of football.” And the qualification path for the 2026 World Cup will also depend on the result of the double match against the Germans, with Italy called upon to make up for their failure to participate in the last two World Cups. Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg would be the opponents if they reached the Nations League quarter-finals, while a defeat against Germany would lead the Azzurri to face Norway, Israel, Estonia and Moldova. “We must make considerations based on what the draw was after what the match against Germany will be – explains Spalletti -. We must think about winning this match. However, I think it is better to play in a 4-man group than in one to 5 and start in September instead of June, due to previous experience. Regenerated footballers arrive in September, with a different perspective on the path to take.”