Euro 2024, Spalletti charges Italy for big match with Spain
The words of Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti spoke in a press conference at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen on the eve of Italy-Spain: "I want to see an’Italy that repeats the good performance it did with Albania despite the fact that in front of us there is one of the best football schools in the world. There are two ways to do soccer and win, the collective and the great champions who have the great shots. We have the first possibility, è that is the road we have to take becauseé we lack the top player who wins games by himself".
"They know how to do offensive soccer, qualityà, short team and they interpret everything very well. We must not have pauses and have that mad desire to show that ours is also è an important school. In my opinion, the key è playing good soccer, holding the ball more. Then with Spain there will be some more verticalization because they don't wait for you on the edge of the area. The dilemma è always that, you have to verticalize to win. If the opposing team, as Albania did, stands on the edge of the area with the defensive line what do you verticalize? Spain runs the game on you, they always go to press even the goalkeeper, we sometimes concede. Morata goes 20 times out of 20 pressing on back passes, and the team gets up on the half of the field. And then sometimes a few balls from behind are there, if we know how to recognize it and if we have the opportunity; in the timing of plays".
Formation chapter: "This time I’ll say the formation tomorrow and not the day before becauseé even from the others I è received no news of who is playing. È one of my most important games in my career: we all have stories to tell, and footballers will realize when they get to my age that they need stories to tell. This è one of those matches that canò determine those stories".
"Spain è has become a school of soccer becauseé it has always done the same soccer, becauseé it has had the courage to maintain over time the same idea of soccer, the same demand and the same willingnessà from the players. In order to get to those levels lì, you have to always reintroduce the same idea of soccer: not once all forward and once all back. You have to always try to play the game, have no breaks and have that mad desire to show that ours is also è an important school. They have everything from the point of view of characteristics and individual qualities. We will have to see what our reactions will be when they come at us with all the men. Croatia had breaks and they came inside these breaks. We will always have to keep the level high, put in that quality that takes away their ability to carry you around the field. What tactical dress will serve;. We are dressed in Armani…. It will serve; the same tactical identity that we have always had. We don’t want to have any regrets about not doing our own thing. We will go on the field dressed well and ready to get our clothes dirty if we need to", Spalletti concluded.