“It might seem easy to get a single point, but we can’t approach it as if that’s all we need,” says Luciano Spalletti as he gears up for Italy’s final two Nations League matches, on Thursday against Belgium and Sunday against France. The Azzurri need only a point to advance, but Spalletti insists they won’t settle for that. “We’ll be up against Belgium, with players from top European clubs, and France, who have two players for every position. These will be incredibly tough games. We won’t play for just one point; our attitude will be right, we’ll fight, and we mustn’t be overconfident.”
Spalletti emphasizes the importance of consistency, building on what the team has achieved so far. “We need to keep up the good work we’ve shown until now,” he says from Coverciano. “We’ve shown players graphics and examples from the Euros and this Nations League. This shift has come about mainly because of them. Buffon also told the players that he can see they’ve regained confidence in their strength, and because of this, they’ve become a real team. We’re glad they’ve embraced this tactical system and are committed to it. I told them they’re ‘perfectly undisciplined.’”
Spalletti is also pleased with the current state of Serie A, where balanced competition provides room for growth and gives the national team a broader pool to choose from. “I’ve congratulated the players for their quality play. We’re seeing beautiful matches, such as last night’s Inter-Napoli, with competitiveness pushing everyone to improve. Even lower-level teams are challenging the stronger ones, which bodes well for growth.”
There’s good news up front as well, with Retegui (11 goals) and Kean (8 goals) leading the Serie A scoring charts. “They’re showing exactly what we hoped for; we’re thrilled to see them at the top,” Spalletti notes. “Kean has clear qualities and some challenges, but he’s making his strengths shine.” On injuries, Fiorentina’s Kean has an ankle issue, “but we’ll help him recover, just as we’ll give the other players who aren’t at their best a couple of days to bounce back.” However, Samuele Ricci will return home after getting injured against Juventus. “If a player isn’t fully fit, we don’t want them playing injured. It would have been too difficult to recover him for the first match,” says Spalletti, confirming Locatelli will take his place.
Spalletti concludes by calling for stadium upgrades in Italy. “Our stadiums need to be rebuilt. When you watch Champions League matches abroad, you see beautiful stadiums. We need to catch up, not only in our level of play but also in our stadiums.”
