Italy, Gattuso: "Not a good air". Then he clarifies on Chiesa and the change of module
Italian national team head coach Gennaro Gattuso spoke at a press conference ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Estonia and Israel. The Azzurri must keep winning and hope for a misstep by Norway for direct qualification, otherwise it will come through the playoffs.
“We have to think about doing ours, always do well and work with concentration. Outside there is not a beautiful air in view of the game with Israel, but we have to think about our own. Then if we go to the playoffs we will see, but to go there we have to beat Israel. We always have to be ready”.
“I am referring to the’environment outside. We go to Udine on Tuesday, we know there will be very few people there, and I understand the concern. But we also know we have to play, otherwise we would lose 3-0 by default. Definitely sorry to see what happens, innocent people and children dying. It hurts the heart. For all that, we certainly cannot say that the environment is serene: there will be 10,000 people outside and 5,000 inside. But we have to go to the World Cup and we will try our best”.
On the nonconvocation of Federico Chiesa: “It is the line I have with everyone, I talk to them a lot and I break their boxes. With Federico there’s been a long talk, he knows what I think of him, but you also have to respect what the player says, he doesn’t feel 100 percent and he has to solve issues. There’s no case or secret”.
On the possible three-man defense: “A coach has to be good at everything, my ego I have to put it aside, also because we play so much. I don’t like it but that doesn’t matter, we will always choose the best module for the team”
