Snow in Bosnia, complicates Azzurri’s path to World Cup

It wasn’t enough for the already hostile weather: the weather in Zenica also doesn’t bode well, so much so that it prompted the national team to change the program after an inspection carried out on site by a FIGC delegate. Snow has fallen in Bosnia in recent hours. Temperatures are expected to rise, but the rain is still expected to make the pitch heavy.

For this reason, Gattuso has decided to avoid the final training session in the match’s stadium, opting for a final morning session at Coverciano. The team will then leave Monday at 4:30 p.m. on a chartered flight from Florence and will arrive in Zenica around 7 p.m., where they will carry out the usual eve activities: inspection of the field (which empty will have a limited impact) and press conferences of the technical commissioner and one player.

The playoff semifinal against Northern Ireland laid bare again an issue already debated in the days leading up to the match, as far as the national team’s offensive department is concerned: the condition of Mateo Retegui. Italy still won 2-0 and clinched a place in the finals, but the performance of the class of 1999 striker, in force at Al-Qadisiya but currently stationary, at club level, due to the stop imposed by the geopolitical situation on the Saudi league, has rekindled doubts and discussions among fans.

In fact, on social media, the chorus is unanimous: against Bosnia, a different kind of energy will be needed, exemplified by the performance of Pio Esposito, who entered at 64′ precisely in place of Retegui. The Inter player, in the half-hour put at his disposal by coach Gattuso, failed to score but created more than one headache for the opponent’s defense, opening up spaces for Kean (who scored with his second goal in the final) and even came close to scoring with a header saved on the line.

There were therefore many who asked, via Facebook, Instagram and X, the Azzurri coach to reverse the positions on the roster for Tuesday’s final match against Bosnia, choosing Esposito as a starter and using Retegui as a substitute if needed. The contrast between Retegui’s opaque evening and Esposito’s immediate impact has fueled a debate that, just days before the decisive match to go to the World Cup, is set to become one of the central themes until minutes before kickoff.