Luciano Spalletti admits Italy must “question themselves” after a disastrous performance against Norway in their opening World Cup qualifier, even hinting that the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) might consider his position.
This loss marked a terrible beginning to their World Cup qualifying campaign, as the Azzurri found themselves trailing 3-0 by halftime in Oslo, with goals scored by Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa, and Erling Haaland.
“It can be explained by how the match unfolded. We conceded the first goal which was avoidable, and then in the open spaces, they had a couple of individual actions that created problems for us,” Spalletti told RAI Sport. “After that, everything became much harder.”
Spalletti Addresses Italy`s Performance Issues
Italy`s first and only shot on target came in stoppage time from Lorenzo Lucca, which wasn`t even a difficult save for the keeper. Why was there virtually no response from the national team, similar to the EURO 2024 collapse against Switzerland?
“After falling behind 2-0, they dropped deep into their own half, making it hard for us to find space. More importantly, the absence of players capable of beating opponents one-on-one made a difference.”
Only the group winner automatically qualifies for the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, while the runners-up go into play-offs. This defeat is already a significant setback for Italy`s qualification hopes.
Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups in 2018 and 2022, both times exiting at the play-off stage.
Spalletti was asked if this result and performance cast doubt on the entire Italy project.
“I am the leader of this group, and it`s a squad I selected, so I will continue with them. We need to improve in certain areas because we cannot give opponents advantages by giving the ball away,” the coach responded.
“This is the best group we assessed, so we will proceed with these players.”
Spalletti Hints at Coaching Future
The national team plays again on Monday evening at home against Moldova, so there is hope they can start earning points in Reggio Emilia.
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia shortly after, Spalletti suggested he might be open to resigning or being dismissed.
“This isn`t who we are, because individually, we are capable of more. However, you can also see this is a difficult period. A few things went wrong for us, but this is the squad I chose, and I will continue with it,” added the CT (Coach).
“I need to discuss their intentions with President Gravina, their perspective on the decisions I`m making. I chose this group because I believed it had quality, but if we are so vulnerable that we don`t hold the offside line or chase down opponents, then there`s a lack of confidence. Quality alone isn`t enough without that.”
Is he concerned because the World Cup now seems very distant?
“There are always concerns, because after a performance like that, you clearly must ask yourself questions and recognize there are issues, but you have to confront them, because there is no other option,” Spalletti concluded.
