Spalletti: Ten months aren’t enough to showcase my abilities; Italy will start from scratch in their fight back

After Italy’s elimination from the European Championship, the future of head coach Roberto Mancini became a topic of discussion. Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Gabriele Gravina reaffirmed his support for Spalletti, with the coach himself emphasizing his commitment to stay and continue the battle for Italian football’s resurgence.

As the defending champions, Italy managed only a victory against Albania in their opening match before being knocked out by Switzerland in the Round of 16, leaving fans unimpressed. Nevertheless, Gravina stood by Spalletti, stating, “We have no alibis, we must continue to assume responsibility. I had a long conversation with the coach, and I believe it’s unimaginable to give up on a manager after eight to nine months, especially when he hasn’t always had all players available.”

Spalletti, in an interview, clarified his intentions, tasked with guiding Italy to the 2026 World Cup after two consecutive absences. He said, “The match against Switzerland has brought us back to square one, and we’ll start anew from there. I will continue the team’s rejuvenation process and build a new squad. At this moment, I don’t see the answers in terms of leadership. The future Italy will be younger, more dynamic, and stronger.”

The coach also argued that the short time he had to work with the team didn’t allow him to demonstrate his full potential. However, he has a clear plan in mind, saying, “In the past ten months, you haven’t seen the best of me yet. Some criticized me for raising the training intensity too much, for feeding the players unrealistic fairy tales. But that’s my style – there needs to be a benchmark to strive for, otherwise, there’s no path forward. I joined the team when they urgently needed a manager, but not achieving our Euro goals is unacceptable. We’ll start from zero, and I already have a blueprint in mind that I’ll put into action.”