Spalletti on Acerbi: Dodged blame, used Juan Jesus for convenience | OneFootball

The former National Team head coach opens up at the Trento Sports Festival: “The World Cup remains my burden, it causes me pain”

Spalletti revisits the Acerbi case: “He dodged responsibility, he used the Juan Jesus story for convenience. On Napoli and ADL…”

When Luciano Spalletti speaks, his words never go unnoticed. The former National Team head coach, a guest at the Trento Sports Festival, addressed several topics with his usual frankness, from the Acerbi case to his experience with the Azzurri, touching on his relationships with Totti, Icardi, and De Laurentiis.

Spalletti on the Acerbi case: “He dodged responsibility”

Luciano Spalletti revisited Francesco Acerbi’s refusal of the call-up for the Norway–Italy match, a decision that sparked much debate.

“There are more and more people who find excuses or reasons not to fulfill their responsibilities,” Spalletti explained. “And fewer and fewer who are willing to show their face when a human confrontation is needed. He had the chance to say those things he said, even twenty days earlier, with the previous call-up. Why didn’t he say anything then?”

The Tuscan coach revealed that he personally contacted the Inter defender on the eve of the call-up list:

“I told him: ‘Look, you’re right. You always have to look at the pitch.’ He had scored against Barcelona, he was decisive and still proving to be a leader. I told him I would call him up in Mancini’s place. He replied: ‘If you decide to call me, I’ll come.’ Then, a few days later, he told me he wouldn’t come anymore, bringing up the Juan Jesus matter. But we intervened because the situation was delicate. If he’s happy like that, good for him, but things didn’t happen the way he told them.”

The weight of the National Team experience: “The World Cup is my burden”

With Italy still fighting for a spot at the 2026 World Cup and the risk of having to go through the playoffs again, Spalletti assessed his stint as head coach:

“Gattuso is a talented man, with qualities that are needed. It’s crucial to have good relationships with players: I loved them and defended them to the hilt. But I made mistakes. I projected too much of my love for football, overwhelming the players with words and demands. They would have needed more lightness. I tried to make them understand that football is a serious matter, but unpleasant situations happened right away.”

The former coach then added:

“For me it was like being in paradise, but I can’t forget quickly. I lacked nothing, and there are twenty players capable of forming a competitive team. Italy will go to the World Cup, because the players are strong and Gattuso immediately found the right balance with the two strikers. Pio Esposito? He gives me the feeling he’ll become a master of the penalty area. He reminds me of Bobo Vieri.”

Totti and Icardi, two captains difficult to manage

During his career, Spalletti had complicated relationships with two emblematic figures of the teams he coached: Francesco Totti at Roma and Mauro Icardi at Inter.

“Inside the box, Mauro is one of the strongest I’ve ever had, but outside he has some limits. In the middle of the pitch he doesn’t have Pio Esposito’s physicality, and the problem was what surrounded him,” he explained.

On Totti, instead: “I had an excellent relationship with him; the problem was the entourage. An incredible footballer, but managing everything orbiting around him wasn’t simple.”

Spalletti on Napoli and his relationship with De Laurentiis: “It had become difficult”

He couldn’t avoid speaking about Napoli, with whom he won a historic Scudetto before departing:

“It had become difficult because the president had taken over. He told a journalist that Napoli would have won the title even with her in charge. He had the option on the contract and thought I couldn’t coach elsewhere. But under those conditions I would never have stayed, even if it meant stopping.”

Spalletti then added a comment on the following year, when the club’s and team’s balance proved more fragile:

“He thought he could manage the situation on his own, but we saw how it went. He was forced to bring in another strong coach, with a big personality, for a beautiful city that demands a lot.”

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