Italy coach Luciano Spalletti on tactics, EURO title defence and being in 'heaven' – interview
Thursday, June 6, 2024
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"In a way, we are facing ourselves, not the outside world," says Luciano Spalletti as he prepares Italy for a title defence at UEFA EURO 2024.
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Having taken charge of Italy in August 2023 following the departure of his predecessor Roberto Mancini, Luciano Spalletti has been tasked with mounting the Azzurri's title defence at UEFA EURO 2024.
A solid lower-league player, Spalletti made his name as a coach in the lower tiers before an exceptional spell in charge of Udinese led Roma to hire him in 2005. Since then he has won league titles in Russia, taken charge of Inter and – most remarkably – led Napoli to their first league title in a generation in 2022/23. Now 65, he spoke to UEFA.com about the principles that will guide his side at the finals in Germany.
On Italy's key footballing characteristics
We are often characterised, or at least well known, for being good in the defensive phase and opening up the field on the counterattack. But in Italy, we are changing our approach. We want to get players forward instead of always waiting. We want to press, we want to build the play and try to block as a team.
The game is fluid. It's about looking for those spaces left by the opposition, because the space isn't between the lines anymore. The space is where the other team leaves gaps. Sometimes you start with an initial shape or system, and then end up with something else: two different systems during the same game. Because of this fluidity, you end up doing things differently. It's not that sort of rigid, easily recognisable thing that you used to have in the past. It's much more creative now.
On Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Federico Dimarco
They can play outside their comfort zones. They know how to play as midfielders, or as wing-backs who can push up past the defensive line. They know how to play a ball through the defensive line. They are not afraid to get in front of goal and score. These players, who have this fluidity when they play, are at ease everywhere on the pitch. They dominate the midfield, and they're also curious to go and see what's behind the defensive line. They are great players.
On settling into his role
It feels like heaven to be in situations like these. I'm old enough to know with all the ups and downs in football that these days, you could be on the verge of becoming No1 in the world one minute and then struggling the next.
Matches come and go. These tournaments are really important, and this is why we need to be prepared for everything; as we say in our anthem, 'We are ready to die' for these matches.
On the pressure on Italy to defend their title
In my opinion, coming into the tournament as defending champions is an advantage. But we need to understand straight away that we need to behave like defending champions. Italy has chosen us to represent our nation, but we will only see whether or not we are up to the task during the matches.
We need to show that. We need to convince ourselves, not only the fans. In a way, we are facing ourselves, not the outside world. We need to show what we are made of, to show what we have inside.
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