As usual, the National Team’s training camp opened with a press conference from Head Coach Gennaro Gattuso, with the team set to hold their first session at the Coverciano Technical Centre this afternoon ahead of their upcoming fixtures against Estonia and Israel. This time around, it’s a Tuesday start for the players, giving them an extra 24 hours to recharge after their domestic league commitments. As for Gattuso, he is growing ever more comfortable in his role as Head Coach, a position that keeps him busy around the clock: “I enjoy it,” he said. “I’m definitely not bored. It’s hard work, and the pressure is immense. I feel the weight of my responsibilities every minute.” He hopes the team has learned from September’s lesson, when Italy almost threw away a victory in Debrecen at the very end: “We need to sense danger, and nothing should be taken for granted. You have to see games through and finish them properly. On that front, we weren’t great.” The good news is that, compared to September, the players have more minutes in their legs: “In terms of minutes played and physical condition, the lads are in better shape than a month ago, and we’re happy about that.”

STAYING ALERT. It’ll be tough to claim top spot in the group, which would secure direct qualification for the World Cup. But Italy will try, even knowing that six points from the matches against Estonia and Israel might not be enough to turn the final Group I game against Norway on 16 November in Milan into a decider for first place. Winning the next two games, however, would be sufficient to secure second place and a play-off spot. “We need to focus on doing our job, working with full concentration and not getting caught up in the external pressure,” Gattuso explained. “Then we’ll see. Even to reach the play-offs, you need to stay alert and pick up results. For now, we’re concentrating on the match against Estonia, which has its pitfalls. It won’t be easy, and we have to prepare carefully with the right mentality and determination, knowing it will be a very different game from the one in Bergamo.”

NEW FACES AND RETURNS. Just like in September, when Leoni, Fabbian and Pio Esposito crossed the gates of Coverciano for the first time, the Head Coach has again rewarded three young players with their first Azzurri call-ups: 24-year-old Roberto Piccoli, plus Hans Nicolussi Caviglia and Nicolò Cambiaghi (both born in 2000). “Cambiaghi got off to a strong start last year but then had the misfortune of a cruciate ligament injury. He’s capable of making an impact in both attack and defence. If you want to play with a deep-lying pivot, Nicolussi has the right qualities for that role: I was curious and wanted to see him. As for Piccoli, he’s performed very well at Cagliari, continues to develop and has earned his place here,” continued Gattuso.

Three new faces, just as many important returns. Gattuso – who has lost two wide players, Zaccagni and Politano, to injury – has brought Leonardo Spinazzola back into the National Team fold for the first time in over two years. He’s also recalled Matteo Gabbia and another European champion, Bryan Cristante, absent since October and June 2024 respectively. “We’ll approach the first match one way and the second another – the selections were made on that basis. It’s disappointing to lose the players sidelined by injury, but we’ve got others who can help us. Spinazzola has pace, quality, and we know his value. I can only thank him because, after Politano’s injury, he showed great willingness. He came with enthusiasm, with a smile. I really appreciated that,” Gattuso added. While formations only matter to a certain extent, Gattuso hasn’t ruled out using a three-man defence, even though it’s not exactly his preferred system. “Every coach has to be able to do everything; I can’t be guided by my ego. Even if I don’t like it, it’s not important. We’ll choose the best way to put the players in the best possible positions.”

STRIKING DUO. The attacking duo of Moise Kean and Mateo Retegui is likely to be retained, having scored five of the nine goals netted by the Azzurri during September’s international window. “It would be crazy to change something that’s working. Judging by how they look, the forwards are in good shape – now, we need to see them on the pitch.”

CHIESA AND CANNAVARO. After clarifying that Chiesa’s absence from the squad was once again agreed with the player himself (“I speak to Fede every week, he’s still not at 100%”), Gattuso joked when asked if he had spoken to Cannavaro, the newly appointed Uzbekistan head coach whose team has already qualified for the next World Cup: “I called him and said, ‘What the… are you doing?’”

ISRAEL AND THE ATMOSPHERE. In eight days, Udine will once again host the match between Italy and Israel, which on 14 October 2024 saw the Azzurri secure a convincing 4-1 victory at the Friuli in the UEFA Nations League. The fixture is at the centre of controversy well beyond sport, linked, of course, to the ongoing situation in Gaza. “On Tuesday, in Udine, there will be very few people. I understand the concern. The atmosphere won’t be calm: there will be 10,000 people outside the stadium and 5000 inside. I would have preferred to play a home game with the kind of enthusiasm we saw in Bergamo. As the president explained, we know we have to play the match; otherwise, we’d lose 3-0 by default. I repeat: it’s painful to see these things, innocent people, children…”

SQUAD LIST

GOALKEEPERS: Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham);

DEFENDERS: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Diego Coppola (Brighton & Hove Albion), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Matteo Gabbia (Milan), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham);

MIDFIELDERS: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Hans Nicolussi Caviglia (Fiorentina), Leonardo Spinazzola (Napoli), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle);

FORWARDS: Nicolò Cambiaghi (Bologna), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Roberto Piccoli (Fiorentina), Giacomo Raspadori (Atletico Madrid), Mateo Retegui (Al-Qadsiah).

CALENDAR AND GROUP I STANDINGS

11 October, 18:00 CEST – Norway vs. Israel (Oslo)

11 October, 20.45 CEST – Estonia vs. ITALY (Tallinn)

14 October, 18:00 CEST – Estonia vs. Moldova (Tallinn)

14 October, 20:45 CEST – ITALY vs. Israel (Udine)

13 November, 18:00 CET – Norway vs. Estonia (Oslo)

13 November, 20:45 CET – Moldova vs. ITALY (Chisinau)

16 November, 20:45 CET – Israel vs. Moldova (Debrecen)

16 November, 20:45 CET – ITALY vs. Norway (Milan)

Standings: Norway 15 points (5 matches played), ITALY 9 (4), Israel 9 (5), Estonia 3 (5), Moldova 0 (5)