Latest news with #LaNazionale
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lippi breaks silence as Gattuso appointed Italy coach
Marcello Lippi briefly commented on Gennaro Gattuso's appointment as Italy head coach: 'I am so happy for Rino, I'm sure he'll do really well.' Gattuso and Lippi won the 2006 World Cup with the Italy national team, and the former Azzurri boss commented on the 47-year-old's appointment as the new head coach of La Nazionale. Lippi believes Gattuso 'will do really well' as Italy head coach ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 24: Marcello Lippi, Head Coach of China during the AFC Asian Cup quarter final match between China and Iran at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on January 24, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by) 'I am so happy for Rino, I'm sure he'll do really well,' Lippi told La Stampa via TMW. Advertisement According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, another Italian legend, Leonardo Bonucci, will be part of Gattuso's Italy staff. A former Milan midfielder, Gattuso won two Scudetti and two Champions League titles as a footballer at San Siro, among other trophies. The Coppa Italia won at Napoli in 2019-20 remains his only piece of silverware as a coach. When Gattuso will be unveiled as Italy head coach SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Gennaro Gattuso of Valencia CF reacts during the LaLiga Santander match between Real Sociedad and Valencia CF at Reale Arena on November 06, 2022 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel) Gattuso will be unveiled at an official press conference on June 19. The former midfielder will be tasked with qualifying for the World Cup, a target the Azzurri failed to fulfil in 2018 and 2022. Gattuso's processor, Luciano Spalletti, was sacked in the aftermath of a 3-0 loss against Norway in the opening match of the World Cup qualifiers earlier this month. The Azzurri have three points in the opening two games in Group I after a subsequent 2-0 win over Moldova.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Italy vs Germany: Why their latest Nations League clash matters
It is one of international football's elite fixtures and always so much more than a glorified friendly. Giancarlo Rinaldi looks ahead to the latest chapter of Italy's epic rivalry with Germany. Anyone who thinks it is only the Nations League should look away now. When two giants of the global game lock horns, the sparks are always likely to fly. And, for Luciano Spalletti's Azzurri, a clash with Germany is an ideal opportunity to measure exactly what progress they have made since a disappointing defence of their Euro 2020 crown. It was just last summer, remember, that Switzerland eased past Italy in their last 16 encounter to spark yet another bout of soul-searching from Savona to Salerno. There is rarely any middle ground with La Nazionale these days, if there ever was, and – in the eyes of fans – they have lurched from continental champions to World Cup chumps with alarming speed. The last nine months or so have seen a slow rebuilding of a crumbling reputation. Drawn in a potentially tricky Nations League group with France, Belgium and Israel, Italy qualified for the quarter-final stage in some style. A win away to Les Bleus was a high point in their revival but a defeat in the return leg brought a dose of reality to proceedings. Still, if nothing else, their new boss showed he was willing to give new faces a chance and start the latest regeneration game. That is why this clash with Germany—who look likely to be missing a number of key attackers—is such an important one to take a further step forward. Not only would victory take Italy to the semi-finals, but it would also allow them to host the final phase of the tournament in June. For a national team that has lost a lot of its lustre in recent times, that would represent a double-whammy of delight. Furthermore, beating Germany would allow the Azzurri to avoid a tricky meeting with Erling Haaland in the World Cup qualifiers. The biggest absentee is Inter's Federico Dimarco who has been in the form of his life of late. There are plenty of alternatives to play as the left wing-back in Spalletti's 3-5-2 or 3-5-1-1 but none of them offers quite what he does. That will be one conundrum to resolve if the Azzurri hope to progress to a summer showdown. It is great to see brand new or relatively new faces like Matteo Ruggeri of Atalanta, Cesare Casadei of Torino (who has looked outstanding at youth levels) and Pietro Comuzzo of Fiorentina make the squad. They are not likely to start any games but they will be getting vital experience as part of this particular adventure. If the Samuele Ricci, Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Barella midfield unit can confirm its rising tide that would be a big help. And Mateo Retegui and Moise Kean need to show that their Serie A form can work for their country. If one – or ideally both – of them emerge as strikers of international quality then that would be a major help in keeping crawling up the FIFA ranking ladder. Above all, though, this will be about restoring a bit of the fear factor that the Azzurri used to induce in opponents. Some of their greatest ever games have come against German opposition – think 1970, 1982 or 2006 – and they could do with another statement win. Defeat need not be a disaster, if the performance is strong enough, but a victory would certainly be a welcome tonic. Missing another World Cup would be an outright disaster and getting to the final four of the Nations League could be another indication that Italy are back on the right track after so many false turns in the last few years.
