🇮🇹 Gattuso: pros and cons, 3 strengths and weaknesses for Italy ❗ | OneFootball

Will Gennaro Gattuso be the new coach of the Italian National Team? Nothing is set in stone yet, but the name of the World Champion is definitely leading the race compared to other candidates.

Clearly not the Federation's first choice, a "fallback" option that has its pros and cons. Let's look at 3 reasons why Gattuso might be a good choice, and 3 reasons that make us doubt his appointment.

1) Is Gattuso really the right character now?

One of the harshest criticisms of Spalletti's management was that he created a too heavy, tense, almost neurotic atmosphere within the National Team. During the European Championship, the team seemed confused and felt the pressure: a united group, yes, but also a group that didn't seem to be having fun.

In this regard, Gattuso seems to be a similar profile, different in manner but certainly not "light," indeed, because he has always been a very intense person. After all, "Ringhio" is not a nickname given by chance.

The other two options for the National Team were Claudio Ranieri and Stefano Pioli: two coaches capable of relieving pressure from the group, restoring serenity, and then trying to rebuild the joy of going to Coverciano. So the question is legitimate: can the team rediscover the "pleasure of playing" with Gattuso?

2) Another formation, risk or necessity?

After the European Championship, Italy chose a clear formation to restart: a 3-man defense, players inserting themselves in the half-spaces to support a lone striker. Against France, this formation bore fruit, but almost exclusively in that match. Donnarumma himself attests to it: "We lost balance."

Gattuso, on the other hand, prefers a 4-man defense: in his career, there have been few occasions when he used a 3-man defense. He has often fielded two attacking wingers, practically excluded from the latest call-ups.

The new coach will probably adopt a different style from Spalletti, who had "leaned" on the Inter block, replicating its strengths and weaknesses on a smaller scale: unity of movements (when well executed) but little unpredictability with the ball. Will Italy adapt immediately?

3) He has taken over "poorly" 2 times: there's no time

The other doubt is about the time available, because Gattuso has only taken over mid-season twice in his career: in December 2017 when he took charge of Milan and with Napoli.

His experience at Milan wasn't negative, but the initial results with the Rossoneri raise some doubts: his impact in the league was a draw in his debut (against Benevento), a win (against Bologna), and two consecutive losses against Verona and Atalanta. Only after came the derby victory that revitalized the season.

A similar story for Napoli in December 2019: 3 losses (Parma, Inter, and Lazio) and a win (against Sassuolo) in his start with the Partenopei. In that case too, the team began to produce results after about a month.

In this case, Gattuso will not have time to settle in: he will have to win immediately and possibly with many goals to spare, maybe hoping that Norway makes missteps along their path.

1) Gattuso can instill a sense of responsibility

Gennaro Gattuso knows what it means to win with the National Team: he did it in 2006 and is one of the best people to convey the sense of responsibility that - at least on the surface - seems to be missing from some Azzurri players.

All his players have always emphasized it: "Gattuso asks you to sweat blood", a strong image but probably the only thing the current National Team can do. There's little time, and somehow they need to recover: if not with ideas, at least with spirit. And in this sense, Gattuso knows how to make himself understood.

2) He can call up those who truly deserve it

Spalletti's choice to create a precise technical project was the response to the confusion of the European Championship, but the proposed schemes led to the exclusion (from call-ups or starting positions) of some in-form players: Orsolini first and foremost, and many wingers in general.

Orsolini, who against Norway skips past a man and gets scolded: "Play with the team" is emblematic of what was described. Gattuso can now call up those who have actually played better: from Orsolini and Zaccagni (maybe playing them) to Mancini in defense, who had an excellent second half of the season.

After all, a selector must also do this: not only choose who is most functional to his project but also call those who are playing better and create a suitable context for them to express themselves.

3) For Gattuso, it's an unexpected opportunity

There is no doubt that Gattuso invests 110% of himself in every experience he faces, but this time it could be the personal opportunity to surpass himself. Because this opportunity is unexpected: a coach who goes from terminating with Hajduk Split to the Italian National Team is unique.

Accepting the Azzurri bench is the career watershed: relaunching at the highest levels or further descending the European hierarchies. Because the mutual termination with Valencia (a club in serious trouble) and the dismissal from Marseille, which this year reached 2nd place in Ligue 1, represent a regression compared to experiences with Milan and Napoli.

In short, it's not just a "do or die" for the Azzurri players but also for Gattuso. He, as always, will give his all.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

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