Credit: Photo by Icon sport
Former coach Arrigo Sacchi gave a detailed analysis of Italy’s draw with Croatia in their final Euro 2024 group match, explaining why the Azzurri “need a wake-up call”.
“I don’t believe in luck, I never have. The Azzurri have shown, despite a thousand difficulties, that they still believe, not giving up despite the many mistakes they have made. Now, Spalletti’s boys need to wake up if that magnificent goal that sent us through to the last 16 against Switzerland is to represent a positive turning point. Yes, you heard me right: a wake-up call. Because for me, at times, they seemed timid, contracted and consequently insensitive. Now we have to put those fears aside, we have to take courage, we have to attack the opponent. If we look at the result, it makes sense for us Italians to celebrate. But woe betide us if we start dreaming! Let’s keep our feet on the ground, please, and analyze what happened. In the first half, Croatia gave us a hard time, there’s no denying it. The Azzurri weren’t very compact, marking was always sloppy despite Spalletti inserting an extra defender. And, as I never tire of saying, Italy don’t press, and these days, if you don’t press, you don’t get very far. I expect a lot more from this Italian group. I know they don’t have time to work, that they can’t work miracles, but I’d like to see more courage on the pitch. But in general, it’s the Italian team as a whole that needs to believe in itself more,” said Sacchi via La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Antoine Rabito
Italian soccer fan from France. Everyday, I read the italian newspapers looking for the best informations to share.