Every word Spalletti said about Italy, EURO 2024 and differences in club and international football | OneFootball

Luciano Spalletti has addressed the media following Italy’s elimination from EURO 2024. It has been confirmed by FIGC President Gabriele Gravina that the CT will continue in his role for now.

During his press conference in Iserlohn in Germany on Sunday, Spalletti thanked everybody for their ‘love and support’ during Italy’s tournament. He also admitted that supporters have not seen the best version of Spalletti yet, but insisted that there are differences in the level of impact a coach can have at club and international level.

Spalletti also addressed a number of different topics, including the hunt for leaders in the national team set-up, replacing the likes of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci and plans to invest in youth moving forwards.

Spalletti thanks Italy fans, staff and players

“I thank the fans for their love and support, the players for their availability and professionalism in putting everything I asked of them into play, and the federal staff for their quality and readiness to find solutions to every problem we had. I’m sorry that I didn’t replicate their level of quality,” Spalletti said at the beginning of his press conference, reported via Corriere dello Sport.

Asked whether he has any major regrets or feelings of remorse after Italy’s EURO exit, Spalletti replied: “That’s a game I don’t like to play. There’s no going back. I didn’t get it right, I tried to galvanise the team and I will try to do it even more in the future.

Not seen the best of Spalletti yet

Asked whether we have yet seen the best version of Spalletti in the Italy dugout, the coach responded: “No, you haven’t seen him over these 10 months, otherwise I would be making a very different speech here.

“I was told that I raised the intensity in training too much, that I told fairytales to motivate the players, but that’s my life. You always need examples to follow otherwise there is no path to follow.

“I came in when there was an immediate urgency for results and given what was required, we were looking good up to a certain point. We were unable to grow in this mini-journey we took yesterday, we took a significant step backwards and that cannot be accepted. But we will start again from there, I think I know what to do and I will put it into practice.

“Yesterday’s match took us back down to zero and we’ll start again from there. I will rejuvenate this squad and try to create a group. I wasn’t given the answers I was looking for regarding leadership. The future will be younger with new energy and strength.”

Spalletti on replacing Chiellini and Bonucci

“It’s difficult to find players like Chiellini and Bonucci, but we’ve seen glimpses of it by giving players like Calafiori a chance. You can find quality. We have to believe that there is potential coming through the ranks,” Spalletti said.

The CT was also asked if Saturday night was the most difficult night of his career thus far.

He replied: “No, my life is always complicated. Sometimes even the victories are difficult to manage. There are many nights spent thinking about football and my love and passion for the game. I have made many friends along the way, the most important one being the phone call from Matilde (Spalletti’s daughter) telling me I love you, that means more than anything.

Spalletti on Italy’s EURO draw and squad experience

Spalletti continued: “We came into the EUROs with a well-deserved, but difficult qualification. We knew we had the maximum number of difficulties, history tells us that the sides we faced are well organised, experienced and mature. We are among the youngest, in fact there was only one squad younger than ours.

“I said that I was surprised by the willingness of the players and I remained in the same opinion until yesterday’s match. I am disappointed about that because I didn’t see a reaction, even against Spain in the last quarter of an hour we created situations where we could have equalised. Yesterday I saw less of that desire to win the ball back, to challenge an opponent that was within our reach. I make my analysis by diving into what I saw in the game. We didn’t do enough. If that is the answer, I have to try something different.”

On the spirit within the camp, Spalletti added: “The mood of the team was perfect and proper. Inside the group we always said the same thing, a healthy group was being born.

“They were all very close and very good friends, all the evening were spent in the room together playing games and joking around. The notion that the Azzurri shirt can be a burden, given the result of yesterday’s match, is something we will try to understand better and get answers from.

Differences between club and international football

“The difference between a coach and a national team manager are the options. I could say something to a player to get a reaction one day, then I might compliment him the nect, and then let him play. You can’t do that here, you don’t have the same possibility of ‘playing’ with the players psychologically. I have to put on a suit these days as well, and it fits me very well,” he joked.

“There are differences and I am eager to continue on a journey that always presents me with new challenges.