ROME (AP) – Coach Gennaro Gattuso admitted the only ones not nervous as Italy try to evade are the “players who don’t have blood running through their veins.” unable to obtain qualifications To participate in the World Cup for the third consecutive year.
Gattuso is still as energetic and gritty as he was when he played for Italy, who won their fourth World Cup in 2006.
He also hinted at bringing the talented winger home ahead of Thursday’s play-off game against Northern Ireland. federico chiesa This could be a decisive break with the outstanding player who won the European Championship trophy five years ago.
“I can’t deny that I’m nervous,” Gattuso said Monday. “Only people who don’t have blood running through their veins won’t feel it. But we need to do a good job of communicating a lot of positivity.”
But that doesn’t paint a positive picture of Italy’s performance in the last two World Cup play-offs, in which the Azzurri were eliminated. Sweden and north macedoniarespectively.
Italy lost twice to Norway in qualifying and is in jeopardy of competing at the same stage in the upcoming North American World Cup. The Azzurri need to beat Northern Ireland at home in Bergamo next week, then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away, if they are to avoid not playing in football’s biggest event for at least 16 years.
“There is no alibi,” Gattuso said. “It’s no use thinking that we could have done better. The only thing we have to think about is Thursday’s game. Forget that we have won four World Cups, two Euros and one Olympics. The only game for us is the Thursday game. For us, the Thursday game is the only one.”
“All the players here today know what we’re playing for and how important it is.”
Chiesa remaining is a “waste”
Chiesa made his first brief return to the national team after almost two years away and was brought back to Liverpool.
“He had some small (physical) problems and we decided it was no use for him to stay here,” Gattuso said.
But then why do other injured players like Sandro Tonali, Gianluca Scamacca and Alessandro Bastoni remain in the team? Especially after Gattuso announced that he would replace the sacked Luciano Spalletti in June. Injured players will stay With your team to improve team spirit.
“Because not all players have the same mindset,” Gattuso said. “When I hear someone is lost, I know I have to make a choice. We made it together. He went home feeling like he couldn’t do it. I have to accept that.”
Bologna winger Nicolo Cambiaghi replaced Chiesa.
Chiesa has featured sparsely since joining Liverpool from Juventus two years ago, starting just one Premier League game this season.
Northern Ireland also lost a key player on Monday when centre-back Daniel Ballard was ruled out with a hamstring injury. The Sunderland defender is one of the few players in the Northern Ireland squad with Premier League experience.
Northern Ireland captain and Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley was already out injured.
team dinner
Gattuso was unable to persuade the football authorities to set up a training camp in the four months following the Italy international match, so he and national team leader Gianluigi Buffon embarked on a tour of Italy, as well as trips to London, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to have dinner with the players to keep up team spirit.
“There were no whiteboards, no markers,” Gattuso said. “We didn’t go there to talk about football or tactics. … We were there to create team unity.”
bergamo stadium
Gattuso said he chose to play in Bergamo’s 23,500-seat stadium to create a more positive atmosphere. When Italy lost to Norway at San Siro in November, he noticed AC Milan and Inter Milan fans whistling at players from the opposing clubs.
“The first missed pass, you start hearing the whistle,” Gattuso said. “On the other hand, when we played in Bergamo, there was a cheer at half-time when it was 0-0.”
deal with adversity
Italy led Norway 1-0 at halftime in November, after which Norway scored four goals in the second half, including two from Erling Haaland.
Gattuso said: “We’ve worked really hard to deal with adversity over the last few months. We can’t let one incident change the course of the game.” “It depends on how you react and deal with it.”
Olympics, F1, Tennis
The playoffs take place through a series of events. Success in other sports by Italians — from the Winter Olympics to F1, tennis, volleyball, and even baseball.
“These things go in cycles,” Gattuso said. “When I see us winning in other sports, it motivates me. It makes me feel proud. … Our history right now tells us that we are struggling, but we have a great chance here to achieve our goals.”
If Italy qualify for the World Cup, they will be placed in Group B alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
