“Switzerland will be hard to beat,” Claudio Gentile

Credit: Photo by Icon sport

Former Italy defender Claudio Gentile warns Luciano Spalleti that it will be difficult to beat Switzerland, but he isn’t too worried about England, the Azzurri’s potential opponents in the EURO 2024 quarter-finals.

Gentile, winner of the 1982 World Cup, was among the Italian legends interviewed by La Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday as the Azzurri prepare to meet Switzerland in the last 16 of EURO 2024 on Saturday. “This Swiss team is tough and it will be difficult to beat them. They are physically strong and tactically advanced. They have a key player, Ndoye, who can hurt us, and a midfield partnership of Freuler and Xhaka, who dictate the tempo. However, we have greater potential. We need to play more, leave less space for our rivals and keep a higher line. I think it’s time to make some changes, like starting Fagioli. I don’t know if we’ll meet England if we qualify, but I wouldn’t be too worried about it in that case. They’ve been disappointing so far. That’s nothing compared to Spain, who are showing off their youth and are a sight to behold,” he declared.