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Italy just lost 0-3 to Norway in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. |
“ La Gazzetta dello Sport ” calls it a “state of national emergency”, as Luciano Spalletti’s team falls to fourth place in the group. In theory, the play-off ticket is still available, but in reality it is full of thorns. Especially when the painful memory of the two missed appointments to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups is still fresh.
“Our qualifying campaign is over before it even started,” Gazzetta wrote bitterly. Not just because of the score, but because of the way Italy played: lacking ideas, lacking vitality, and completely outclassed by a sharp and efficient Norway. Haaland shone brightly, while the “Azzurri” sank deeper into crisis.
The newspaper did not hesitate to directly criticize Spalletti and called for changes on the coaching bench: “This project needs to end immediately”. For many, confidence in Spalletti has been shaken since the recent Euros - and now, there may be nothing left to hold on to.
The president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, has also been the focus of criticism. “He cannot live on the Euro 2021 glory forever,” Gazzetta warned. Previous presidents have resigned after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup. Gravina, however, has remained in office, despite his “wax-like” image in the stands at Ullevaal Stadium being ridiculed.
Corriere dello Sport - another prestigious sports newspaper - also could not contain its disappointment: "It is impossible to play football that badly". According to them, the problem is not just tactics but a systemic crisis: a generation of players lacking personality, a coaching staff that cannot come up with solutions. "When you cannot compete in Europe, do not expect to go to the World Cup", Corriere dello Sport stated its opinion.
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Italy coach Luciano Spalletti is facing a lot of criticism. |
In the article “The Great Absent One: Italy”, this newspaper raises a painful question: Is watching the World Cup on the small screen becoming normal for Italians?
Both Gazzetta and Corriere agree that the only way left is through the play-offs. But it will not be an easy journey. Italy will have to finish second in their group, be among the best runners-up, and overcome two knockout matches - one home, one away - against tough opponents. It is the same path that saw them fall short against North Macedonia two years ago.
Tuttosport called this “the darkest moment for Italian football in the modern era”. According to them, even reaching the play-off round will not be easy, as Italy must win all 10 games against Moldova and Israel, while the goal difference is heavily tilted towards Norway.
If Italy continues to be absent from the 2026 World Cup, it will be 12 consecutive years without a presence at the biggest football festival on the planet. The Euro 2021 title will no longer be enough to save its image, reputation, and the trust of fans. Since winning the 2006 World Cup, the Italian team has been on a downward spiral: eliminated in the group stage of the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, and absent twice in a row.
This crisis is not just about the pitch. It also involves the youth system, the quality of domestic players, management capacity and the image of Italian football on the international stage. “An unprecedented technical crisis,” Gazzetta concluded.
And the time has come when there can be no more dodging. Italian football needs a real revolution - from the coaching bench to the boardroom of the federation, if it does not want to be forgotten on the world football map.
Source: https://znews.vn/tuyen-italy-tren-bo-vuc-sup-do-post1559030.html
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