Luciano Spalletti removes a pebble from his shoe

Luciano Spalletti extols Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Responding to the questions of reporters in the press room at the end of the Nations League match that Italy won against Israel with a result of 4-1, Luciano Spalletti wanted to emphasize the performance of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, recalling the criticism suffered by the player during Euro 2024 and emphasizing his value on the field, so much so that he entrusted him with the captain’s armband in the absence of Donnarumma.

"Tonight’s match explains why I insisted so much on him, because I know his value and è what we saw today. He's a very strong player, even when you have doubt it leads you to bet on him: è a true professional, and we must know how to recognize and value serious players like him. He's a quality footballer, who forò knows how to remain humble".

More than positive, on the other side of the field, was also the performance of Federico Dimarco, who was also often the subject of criticism in the disappointing German expedition last summer: "Actually, tonight I can praise everyone, every player on the field showed quality plays and a lot of desire to run and sacrifice. In this reasoning there'è also Dimarco".

By overcoming Israel, Italy has moved up to 10 points in the Nations League Group 2 standings: France follows at 9, Belgium at 4, Israel at 0. Next challenges against Belgium on Nov. 13 and France on Nov. 17: it will be enough to collect one point to guarantee qualification to the final phase of the Nations League, which in this edition will start from the quarters and no longer from the semifinals.