Repubblica: Why Spalletti and Italy players didn’t get along | OneFootball

According to La Repubblica newspaper, Italy players and Luciano Spalletti didn’t get along during EURO 2024 due to the coach’s tactical requests and the lack of cohesion inside the group.

La Repubblica reports that Italy players and their coach Spalletti didn’t get along during the latest European Championship, which ended with elimination in the Round of 16 at the hands of Switzerland.

According to the report, the team wanted an ‘easy script’ to put into practice, while the coach expected a different commitment in games and training sessions.

There were no leaders such as Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, so this ‘strengthened’ certain groups inside the dressing room and the team was never really united.

Repubblica: Why Spalletti and Italy players didn’t get along

According to the report, players were unhappy with the preparation for the Euros, which they expected to be more focused on intensity. Repubblica adds that some footballers didn’t even agree with including Nicolò Fagioli in the final 26-man squad, as the Juventus midfielder had dragged Sandro Tonali into a betting scandal this past October.

Generally, Italy players were sceptical about Spalletti’s tactics, which they saw as too elaborate for such a short tournament.

Surely, Spalletti and his players didn’t understand each other. According to the report, the footballers were surprised by the CT when he announced several line-up changes hours before the final group stage game against Croatia.

Italy will return to the pitch in September for the Nations League, and Spalletti has already announced some changes, saying that he will call younger players with more physicality.