Italy: flair and frailty, Gattuso must forge Champions League steel | OneFootball

Five goals in two consecutive matches: an event never recorded in the recent history of the National Team. Yet, behind the excitement for the spectacular 5-4 against Israel in Debrecen, lies a more complex reality, as analyzed by national newspapers.

Italy, between spectacle and fragility: Gattuso must transform character into solidity

Rino Gattuso's Italy shows character and offensive capabilities, but continues to reveal worrying cracks in managing key moments.

Enthusiasm is not enough to return among the greats

The victory in Hungary provides three valuable points and keeps the 2026 World Cup goal alive, but for now, the more concrete path remains that of the playoffs. The performance against Israel, like the previous one with Estonia, highlighted an approach not always adequate and a structural fragility that risks compromising the growth path.

Errors at the start and in the end – from Barella to Bastoni, from Mancini to Donnarumma – allowed the opponents to unlock the game and then get back into the race even when the result seemed sealed at 4-2 signed by Raspadori. Tonali's decisive goal avoided the worst, but did not erase the lapses.

The Azzurri paradox: brilliant attack, precarious balance

If the positive aspect is the offensive prolificacy, with the Kean-Retegui duo finally convincing, the rest of the team still shows evident limits. Character and enthusiasm are essential, but not enough to bring Italy back into the elite of international football.

There is a lack of defensive compactness, more mature rhythm management, and constant concentration for all ninety minutes. Without these ingredients, Gattuso's group risks remaining unfinished.

Gattuso's challenge: building a solid and consistent National Team

Rino Gattuso knows that the time for experimenting is minimized. Every match counts double, every misstep can be costly. His task will be to transform this spectacular but vulnerable Italy into a team capable of controlling matches, not just winning them with character and bursts.

The goal? To make a qualitative leap that has been missing for too long, bringing the Azzurri back to compete with the great football powers, without having to rely on last-minute strokes of luck.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.