Luciano Spalletti had named the same starting eleven for Italy's first two matches at Euro 2024, but after the defeat to Spain there will be changes for the final Group B match against Croatia, the coach said on Sunday.
After Italy's 2-1 win against Albania, Spalletti continued to trust his players, but after the 1-0 defeat to Spain, in which his team was completely outclassed, the coach spoke of a tired team that could not keep up with the pace and energy of the Spanish.
“After a game like that, the thought is there that I can change something, because if you look at the performance against Spain, I probably made a mistake not to change anything beforehand,” Spalletti told reporters.
“But the team against Albania seemed so good to me that I thought it would be a risk to change something. Now that we are noticing a certain tiredness and rust, something will certainly change.”
The result against Spain and the manner of the defeat have caused much discussion in the Italian camp in recent days, but now the time for talks is over.
“I think we learned a lot from the defeat against Spain the other day. When you lose, you see how the person evolves, how the player evolves,” said Italy defender Alessandro Bastoni.
Luciano Spalletti hinted that he would make changes for Italy's crucial match against Croatia. Jens Schlüter – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Spalletti added: “We have analysed it and talked about it. We have taken a step back from what we have seen in the previous games.
“I expect we learned some lessons from the game against Spain, even though we played poorly and suffered at the end.”
“Now we have to face the facts and put the words aside.”
Italy have historically been known for their defensive strength and ability to hold out for a win, but the days of the 'catenaccio' (“door bolt”) style are long behind them and, according to Spalletti, have no place in modern football.
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“Football today is no longer just about doing one thing. You have to know how to do more than one thing,” said Spalletti.
“Given Croatia's quality, we will sometimes be forced to defend with eleven players, stand compact and then turn the game around without giving the opponent the opportunity to rebuild a defensive phase.
“It's clear that in today's football you can't do that all game long. You can't just live off deep defense and restarts.”
Spain has already won the group with six points and Italy, with three points, needs a draw against Croatia to secure second place and a place in the round of 16.
A defeat would see Croatia (one point ahead) leapfrog the Italians and fear being one of the four best third-placed teams to progress, or it would be out of the race altogether if Albania (also one point ahead) beat Spain.
“There are certain games that ultimately determine whether it was a great story or one to forget,” Spalletti said.
“So the glory of your story ultimately depends on games like these.”
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
