Video: Spalletti on Belgium danger and Italy turning point | OneFootball

Luciano Spalletti insists the new faces in the Italy squad are ‘ready’ to step up, identifies the Belgium team’s biggest danger and calls tomorrow’s Nations League clash a ‘turning point’ for his tenure.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Thursday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

The Azzurri won their first two Nations League games, beating France 3-1 in Paris and Israel 2-1 on neutral turf, putting them three points clear at the top of the group.

While those matches were represented by radical change from the approach seen at EURO 2024, now the coach is seeking consistency.

“I found the same things I saw in this new group, even more so with the four newcomers I called. They have great energy and desire to prove how ready they are. These guys are ready,” Spalletti told Vivo Azzurro TV.

“I had already said that I see these youngsters ready to make the step up another level. I see it day by day in training, we can relax on how prepared they are to do their work.”

Napoli striker Romelu Lukaku and Manchester City hero Kevin de Bruyne are among those out of action for Belgium, but the Azzurri cannot take anything for granted.

“There will be some strong players missing, but others who are younger and ready to push through will play. In that sense, they are a bit like us.

“They have this pace that can be devastating when running into space and that is a huge danger we need to be wary of,” noted Spalletti.

“Their wingers are very good at dribbling, taking men on. Belgium are probably among the best in all of Europe when it comes to the wide forwards who dribble.

“Their players come from the top clubs in Europe and the FIFA Ranking says they are in sixth place and we are in 10th.”

Spalletti was asked if this game represents a turning point for the Nazionale, as they try to work out if EURO 2024 or the opening Nations League games were the ‘real’ Italy.

“That is a fair description, because winning would mean a lot for us and allow us to work more calmly going forward. We need to draw a line under what happened before, not so much the results, but the attitude we saw.”

Luciano Spalletti ahead of Italy-Belgium