Finding a way to rescue Italian football

The risk of missing the third consecutive World Cup appeared for Italian football right after they played their first match in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

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 beating Moldova 2-0, the ticket to the 2026 World Cup is still not close to Italy.

The lingering tragedy of the Italian people

There are 12 groups in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe. The 12 group winners will qualify, and the runners-up will continue to play in 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 mid-ranked team, and 2-3 remaining underdogs in each group.

Each group will have two valuable matches. These are the two home and away matches between the "big guys" and the "challengers". The Norway-Italy match that took place last week is typical. But Norway's 3-0 victory has completely put Italy at a disadvantage 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 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.

Without a chance to win the group, the Italians can still hope to get 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 stage 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 people like Fabio Cannavaro to veterans like Claudio Ranieri...

Up to now, Italian football has not lacked talent, from players to coaches. The irony is that "talent" seems to be one thing, but utilisation is another. Italy is too famous for producing good coaches, from Ancelotti to Conte, Mancini, and especially the young generation, 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 failing in the World Cup qualifiers, Mancini also chose to leave.

The issue of player personnel is more complicated. Italian football is not lacking in stars at the moment. This is shown by the fact that Inter Milan have reached the Champions League final twice in the past three years with a large number of native players. The Champions League champion has an Italian goalkeeper - Donnarumma. The Italian national team's defense also has many stars such as Bastoni, Dimarco, Di Lorenzo... In the midfield, they also have Tonali and 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 show their ability in Serie A. Unfortunately, when they are called up to the national team, they all "turn 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 and good coaches. But they are gradually losing the pride of a powerful football nation. It is hard to believe that the blue color can be absent in 3 consecutive World Cups.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tim-duong-giai-cuu-bong-da-y-20250611100127527.htm