Everybody’s talking about Italy – former players, journalists, butchers and grocers
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Italy's Gianluca Mancini, Pio Esposito, Marco Palestra, Leonardo Spinazzola and Federico Gatti looking dejected after failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup following a penalty shoot-out defeat by Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica, Bosnia, on March 31, 2026.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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ROME – Italy’s latest World Cup failure has triggered a national inquest, with Serie A press conferences on April 4 inevitably dominated by questions about where it all went wrong and what needs to be done.
Italy missed a third straight World Cup after a play-off loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31, prompting coach Gennaro Gattuso and federation chief Gabriele Gravina to step down.
Genoa coach Daniele de Rossi knows what it takes not only to reach a World Cup, but also to win one, having been part of Italy’s triumphant 2006 squad.
Ahead of his side’s match at Juventus on April 6, a question about whether he would accept the Italy job was not quite what he expected. “I thought you wanted a programme about the rebirth of Italian football. I had mentally prepared myself not to answer, because I’ve heard so many things in these last few days. I think there’s really been a lot of talking,” de Rossi said.
“I think more or less everyone is talking, former players, former coaches, butchers and grocers, journalists. Everyone is talking about rebirth, about the magic recipe to bring Italian football back, I worry about Genoa staying up and I think my opinion isn’t all that important.”
Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti was Italy boss until June 2025, leaving after a 2-0 win over Moldova following a 3-0 loss to Norway in the opening World Cup qualifier that led to his dismissal.
“From my point of view, there’s sadness for what happened. In a moment like this, it’s important to reflect properly – at a time when everyone is offering every kind of advice – to think with a cool head and plan in the right and sensible way,” he said.
Spalletti believes that Italy can still produce players of the calibre that defined its past success.
“I’m convinced that among our mothers there are still ones like the mothers of (Roberto) Baggio, (Francesco) Totti or (Alessandro) del Piero,” he said.
“We need to know how to make use of what these mothers give us, the talents they put at our disposal. And if we’re not capable of doing that, then it needs to be imposed on us.”
AS Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini believes the problems will not simply be resolved with a new coach.
“Given that it’s now happened several times, it’s clear there isn’t a single problem, nothing that can suddenly fix the whole situation,” he said.
“I believe the issue is really about restructuring, about having a new vision to lift our football back up, our young players and that is far more important than the identity of the individual coach.”
While the coach may not be the root of or the answer to the crisis, he is the one who, like Gattuso, takes the fall, and the one who will be celebrated if things turn around.
“Whoever takes Italy back to the World Cup will be hailed as the saviour of the nation,” Bologna boss Vincenzo Italiano said.
“It will be a hard and difficult job, but the moment will come when Italy returns to this competition. We’ve won it four times, and with the pool of players we have, we simply cannot fail to qualify.” REUTERS
