"The worst Italian team in history."
'Defending champion'Italy was eliminated early after being completely defeated by Switzerland in the quarterfinals of Euro 2024.
The Italian national team, led by head coach Luciano Spaletti, lost 0-2 to Switzerland in the quarterfinals at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany on the 30th (Korea time). In the final group match against Croatia, Italy, which was unable to compete until the end of the second half, was lethargic.
Gary Lineker, a BBC one commentator, said "I don't think I've ever seen an Italian national team worse than this in my life" he criticized. Italy beat France in a penalty shootout to lift their fourth trophy at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and beat England in a penalty shootout at Wembley three years ago to win their third Euros.
The BBC commented, `There are many talented players in this team, but as confirmed in the match against Switzerland, there was a lack of personality such as Andrea Pirlo's skill, Marco Materachi's intelligence, and Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini's toughness.'Only 2021 winner and MVP goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo, midfielder Nicolo Barrera and striker Federico Chiesa were among the best 11, and the generational shift was not smooth.
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England legend Alan Shearer is also amazed at the difference between Italy three years ago and Italy now"How bad Italy was... It's really shocking. Didn't do anything in any position, Switzerland played with them" he criticized. "Switzerland dominated the game and gave Italy no chance. Italy were too weak to do anything in front of the net. There was no threatening scene at all. Especially in the forward position, he was so bad."
Rio Ferdinand, a former Manchester United legend defender, also criticized "Almost a mess". "There was no answer or solution to any scenario that came out of today's game."
Coach Spaletti's high-intensity offensive football in Naples last year was not found. After the game, Spaletti said "The team was timid in terms of the intensity of the game", he admitted. "We didn't do well and we didn't maintain the high intensity. If you don't get the ball back, you'll lose pace at the back, so you'll give space to your opponent"I pointed out the cause of the defeat. Asked directly in a post-match press conference if he thinks he can retain his job, Spalletti, 65, said "That question is obvious, don't feel guilty" but the heart of the matter is that nothing changes for me. "I am responsible for what happened. I picked the players and of course this is part of my process of getting to know the players." Compared to other coaches, the lack of time with the squad, injuries to certain players, and the fact that Inter Milan won the league early in April were toxic.
"It's hard to explain what happened tonight with just one cause. But if we don't do more in tempo and intensity, it becomes much harder to compete, and we're below par in terms of that", he admitted.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
