Italy coach Luciano Spalletti (65) plans to shake up their winning lineup to give some players a rest in the hope of maintaining a perfect Nations League start
Italy’s coach Luciano Spalletti (65) plans to change their winning lineup in order to give some players a break. This is in hopes of keeping up their perfect Nations League start when they face Israel in Hungary on Monday, after their victory against France earlier this week.
Italy stunned France 3-1 in their League A Group 2 opener on Friday after they went behind when forward Bradley Barcola found the net 12 seconds into the match.
Goals from Federico Dimarco, Davide Frattesi and Giacomo Raspadori secured the win for the Italians.
“It will be a totally different game to the one against France, that match will be difficult to repeat,” Spalletti told a press conference on Sunday.
“I spoke to the team this morning about this trap that could happen if we don’t get there (prepare) as well as we did against France.”
The Italy coach will be without defender Riccardo Calafiori and midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini after they withdrew from the squad with calf and flexor issues, respectively.
Spalletti, however, will also make other changes.
“It’s difficult to propose the same team as on Friday, it’s impossible to get over the fatigue after two days,” he said.
“Now let’s see how they are, but it’s normal that I’ll change three, four, five players.
“(Centre back Alessandro) Bastoni will play tomorrow because taking both him and Calafiori out becomes complicated. He is the one with the most experience, he has things that can benefit the whole team.
“(Midfielder) Frattesi should be evaluated in today’s training, but he says he is fine. He was substituted earlier (in the game), he was spared the most dangerous part.”
Italy are aiming for more consistent success, having missed out on two consecutive World Cups either side of their 2020 European Championship triumph.
“I hear conflicting discussions about what concerns us as a national team,” Spalletti said.
“(I think) that a nation like Italy will always have 20 players to make up a strong team. These assumptions will always be there, regardless of the period.
“We don’t have (Roberto) Baggio, (Alessandro) Del Piero or (Francesco) Totti. But we have many who know how to do many things, who know how to adapt, a football of feeling and sacrifice. And these things can make the difference.
“On Friday, more than a team, we were brothers who made up a team and that is the key that finds the solution to any difficulty you have.”
The match on Monday will take place in Budapest. Belgium played against Israel on Friday in Budapest and won 3-1 with no audience present. This was because the Belgian FA couldn’t find a municipality in their country willing to host the game due to security concerns.
The Israel-Gaza conflict has also forced Israeli teams to move their home fixtures abroad.
“Given the difficulties they (Israel) are experiencing they will put on the field double the desire that is needed,” Spalletti said.
