The international break has arrived for national teams, and while some countries like France, Spain, Belgium, England, and Portugal have already qualified for Euro 2024, which will take place in Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024. However, for other nations, their participation is far from certain, as is the case for the defending champions, Italy, who might miss out on a major tournament yet again after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Despite winning the title at the last Euro 2020 by beating England in the final at Wembley, Italy has faced significant challenges in recent football history, losing to Sweden in 2017 and North Macedonia in 2022. Symbolically, Italy, under Luciano Spalletti, will have to fight to stay in the competition, with their upcoming match against the same North Macedonia.
” I make selections in order to pick the best players to win matches. Let’s try to win the first match. Then, we may need to evaluate players for the two tight matches. It is clear that something needs to change. Are we afraid? We have it by our side. We go through it together. Against England, I saw a lot of bright moments, and I didn’t find myself in intense darkness. Usually, defeats tend to fade away, but in this match, a lot of things were done well, and in some very good moments that we need to maintain,” said Luciano Spalletti during a press conference this week.
For this international break, the Italian coach has called up a squad of 29 players, with the returns of Jorginho and Davide Calabria and the presence of two new players, defender Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus) and midfielder Andrea Colpani (Monza), but the absence of Marco Verratti and Sandro Tonali. In their last international break, Italy came close to competing with England by taking the lead, but they were quickly overturned by the Three Lions. Spalletti emphasized the need for a fresh start if they want to compete at the European and physical level of clubs and nations.
For Spalletti, who took over from Roberto Mancini, the upcoming matches against North Macedonia (11/17) and Ukraine (11/20) will be crucial for Italy’s qualification for Euro 2024. Currently, 3rd in Group C, Italy is far from certain to make the trip to Germany next June. The former Napoli manager stressed the need for corrections, particularly in physical strength and anticipation of footballing ideas, and emphasized the importance of being prepared for aggression on the pitch.
Next week will provide the answer as to whether defending Euro champions Italy will qualify, face a playoff, or be eliminated. Time for the real business for the reigning Euro champs: qualification, playoffs, or elimination? We’ll find out next week.
