Luciano Spalletti spoke to the press in preparation for Italy’s two EURO 2024 qualifying matches against North Macedonia and Ukraine. The Azzurri will need to win both matches to guarantee a place at next summers competition, and speaking ahead of both games, Spalletti gave an update on the status of his players:
“We consider Immobile to be a very important player who we always follow with total attention like all players. We go to see the matches, the training sessions, even though I haven’t been to Lazio yet. Right now I felt that the other three I called up were in better condition, although he did well in the Champions League, he scored a great goal, and I also congratulated him when he spoke to us. The criteria then is to go and win the games we go and play, to call up the best players taking into account many things. I work in its totality when I make certain choices.”
“It depends a little on the moment they are going through with the club. Jorginho, for example, was called up now because he had played little between September and October. He always showed his desire to be part of this group, I had spoken to him by phone and he had expressed his desire to wear this jersey. Now he’s playing regularly, I think he’s better, he’s back to being the team man, the director who shows the way, he’s become the captain of Arsenal: there are very positive signs which then led to this call-up – Udogie? He’s not here because he’s injured.”
“Formation? We only think about the formation for the next game, then we’ll think about the one after that. Then there may be some evaluations on the players in view of the two close matches, but regardless I don’t make one formation for the first game and another for the second. It’s clear that something will be changed, but you do one thing at a time…’.
“Players? There is Cambiaso who has a swollen ankle, Cristante who has a muscle strain and we have to pay attention to the first and second training session. We sent Locatelli home, Jorginho has head injuries from the last game and we have to be very careful, but we need his feet.”
“Cambiaso? He is a player who knows football. Having Dimarco going on the wing, someone who comes in more like Udogie or Cambiaso can give us new tactical situations on the construction of the game. He then is left-footed, not right-footed, although the quality of his right foot is very close’.
“Zaniolo? He has always said he gambled on things you can bet on and kept saying he was clean on what the charges were. Before summoning him I spoke with the Federation and there is nothing to forbid him to be called up”.
“Fear is on our side, we walk with it. Against England I saw many beams of light and I didn’t find myself in intense darkness: usually defeats, you tend to erase them, but from that match there are many things done well, and at times very well, that we have to maintain. I told the boys that we had to do something different”.
“Napoli? I have nothing to say. I had prepared for it a little bit, but I am the coach of the national team and at this moment I think it is unfair to talk about the clubs, just as it is unfair to always make comparisons with the past. Garcia has shown himself to be a decent, balanced person, it was unfair from the first game to compare him with the team’s past. That past? there is a beautiful past that is part of a beautiful history that our football must carry with it because it was an incredible emotion.”
