Italy (right) is at risk of losing its official ticket to the 2026 World Cup - Photo: REUTERS
Speaking of the shocking 0-3 loss to Norway in the match that took place last week, despite just winning Moldova 2-0, the ticket to the 2026 World Cup is still not close to Italy.
The long tragedy of the Italian people
There are 12 groups in the European qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup. The 12 group winners will qualify, and the runners-up will continue to the play-offs. UEFA's division into so many groups has caused controversy. This is because all the strong teams in Europe are divided into different groups. The race will become monotonous with the formula of 1 giant, 1 average team, and 2-3 remaining underdogs in each group.
Each group will have two important matches. These are the two home and away matches between the "giants" and the "challengers". The Norway-Italy match that took place last week is a typical example. But Norway's 3-0 victory has put Italy in a completely inferior position in the race.
Despite beating Moldova 2-0, Italy only have 3 points after 2 matches and a goal difference of -1. In contrast, Norway are sitting comfortably at the top with 12 points after 4 matches and a goal difference of +11. To be able to turn the tables, Italy must beat Norway in the return match and hope that they have at least one slip-up against Israel, Estonia or Moldova. This is too difficult, because Israel is the most difficult opponent but lost 2-4 at home to Norway in the first leg.
With no chance of winning the group, the Italians can still hope to win a ticket through the second place route, then go to the play-off round. There will be 16 teams (including 12 second place teams and 4 teams with good results in the UEFA Nations League) competing for these last 4 tickets. And such a competition ratio is not easy at all. The Italians cannot forget the sad story of 4 years ago, when the Italian team even lost in the first match of the play-off round against North Macedonia.
Having talent is not enough
Italian media confirmed that the home team played their last match (winning against Moldova) under coach Luciano Spalletti - who agreed to part ways with the team after the shocking defeat to Norway. A long list of candidates has been prepared. And there is no shortage of prestigious names from young Fabio Cannavaro to veteran Claudio Ranieri...
Up to now, Italian football has not lacked talent, from players to coaches. The irony is that it seems that "talent" is one thing, but valuing it is another. Italy is too famous for producing good coaches, from Ancelotti to Conte, Mancini, and the young generation is Simone Inzaghi. But none of them really have a connection with the national team. Ancelotti and Inzaghi did not choose to lead the Italian team. Conte left too quickly because of his personality. And Mancini did not choose to stick with the team for a long time despite being the hero of the Euro 2020 championship. Only after the failure in the World Cup qualifiers, Mancini also chose to leave.
The issue of player personnel is more complicated. Italian football currently does not lack stars. This is shown by the fact that Inter Milan has reached the Champions League final twice in the past 3 years with a large squad of native players. The Champions League champion has an Italian goalkeeper - Donnarumma. The Italian national team's defense currently also has many stars such as Bastoni, Dimarco, Di Lorenzo... In the midfield, they also have Tonali, Barella, who are among the best in the world . But when they join the national team, they all play separately.
The current Italian national team does not have many stars. However, strikers like Raspadori, Retegui… still showed their ability in Serie A. Unfortunately, when they were called up to the national team, they all "turned into wood". All 5 current strikers of the Italian national team have only scored 17 goals for the team - a number no different from a veteran midfielder.
In conclusion, the Italians do not lack talented players or good coaches. But they are gradually losing the pride of a powerful football nation. It is hard to believe that the blue team can be absent from 3 consecutive World Cups.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tim-duong-giai-cuu-bong-da-y-20250611100127527.htm
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