With the 4-1 defeat to Norway on Sunday night, any remaining hope of Italy qualifying for subsequent yr’s World Cup routinely was extinguished.
Granted, the Azzurri went into the match at San Siro understanding that solely a 9-0 victory would see them overturn the Scandinavian facet’s purpose distinction to high the group. Nonetheless, , profitable all eight of their video games and scoring a formidable 37 targets.
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For Italy, this confirms their third World Cup play-offs in a row, having been eradicated of their final two makes an attempt and hoping to keep away from the embarrassment of three consecutive editions missed.
MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 16: Erling Haaland of Norway celebrates with teammates after scoring his workforce’s second purpose throughout the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Norway at San Siro Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Picture by Marco Luzzani/Getty Photos)
The Azzurri are caught in ever-repeating cycles: high gamers not performing, an absence of dangers being taken by the coach, accidents hindering each veterans and younger stars alike – all culminating in lacking the World Cup.
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As March approaches, Gennaro Gattuso and his Italy facet might want to break away from this cycle, guide their place within the competitors correct and show to the doubters that they aren’t but useless and buried.
Italy’s finest should replicate membership kind or face dropping
Within the 4-1 loss to Norway, and certainly for a lot of the qualifying marketing campaign, it was .
The likes of Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Alessandro Bastoni seemed like low cost imitations of the gamers we now have seen lead Napoli and Inter to success in recent times. In the meantime, skilled midfielders Manuel Locatelli and Nicolo Barella have struggled to construct any type of momentum in the midst of the park.
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When confronted with darkish occasions, and the clouds are certainly creeping over for the Azzurri, you must count on your finest gamers to step up, not disappear into the shadows. Successive Italy coaches have constantly put religion within the nation’s ‘stars’ with out the performances to again it up and if needs to usher in a brand new period for the nation, it definitely couldn’t harm to take some dangers along with his choice.
MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 16: Gennaro Gattuso, Head Coach of Italy, points directions throughout the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Norway at San Siro Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Picture by Marco Luzzani/Getty Photos)
Italy have a wealth of gamers who’re preventing arduous for a call-up and even some kids have impressed domestically this season. Nonetheless, in Gattuso’s XI towards Norway, a match that was for all intents and functions useless rubber, the coach began only one participant underneath the age of 25 – Inter’s Francesco Pio Esposito.
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Esposito discovered the again of the web, his first purpose at San Siro, and was one of many workforce’s solely starters who was not a whole flop. There are numerous extra kids hungry to show themselves for the Azzurri, in addition to skilled gamers like and Riccardo Orsolini, who’ve been in glorious kind this season however haven’t been given a lot nationwide consideration.
Some worldwide coaches have discovered luck in choice based mostly on kind, encouraging a meritocratic nationwide facet with appearances based mostly on kind and present standing, not based mostly on historical past, market worth or perceived ‘price’.
Rotting on the core: accidents & overseas reliance in Serie A costing Italy
While the squad and coach, or coaches as issues have stemmed from manner earlier than Gattuso took over, should clearly take quite a lot of the blame for the workforce’s present predicament, there are additionally elements exterior of the management of these main and starring for the Azzurri.
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Firstly, the nation has confronted an epidemic of significant tendon and ligament ruptures and tears that proceed to hinder the event of rising expertise.
For knowledgeable gamers, it may well take quite a lot of work to get better kind after a critical damage – and in some instances, they by no means fairly come again the identical.
Leonardo Spinazzola was a part of Italy’s Euro 2020 (or 2021) profitable facet, voted into the workforce of the event regardless of . Certainly, he recovered and ultimately was a dependable squad choice for Antonio Conte’s Scudetto-winning Napoli facet final season, however for the reason that Euros glory, the wing-back has performed simply eight occasions in 4 years.
epa09319242 Leonardo Spinazzola (C) of Italy is stretchered off the pitch after being injured throughout the UEFA EURO 2020 quarter remaining match between Belgium and Italy in Munich, Germany, 02 July 2021. EPA-EFE/Philipp Guelland / POOL (RESTRICTIONS: For editorial information reporting functions solely. Photos should seem as nonetheless pictures and should not emulate match motion video footage. Pictures revealed in on-line publications shall have an interval of not less than 20 seconds between the posting.)
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Equally, while Gattuso insists that Federico Chiesa’s continued absence is because of the participant’s personal request, the winger is one other gifted footballer who has struggled to be the identical after his ACL damage.
In the meantime, extra just lately, Giorgio Scalvini and Giovanni Leoni, two extraordinarily gifted younger defensive prospects who’ve had their improvement stalled, even halted, by critical damage. on the ultimate day of the 2023-24 season, that saved him out of Euro 2024 and half of the next season. Each time he has returned since, the centre-back has confronted additional issues or totally different accidents, with the 21-year-old enjoying simply 10 matches in Serie A since his damage.
Leoni, in the meantime, made a giant cash transfer in the summertime from Parma to Premier League champions Liverpool. Nonetheless, , and is ready to overlook the remainder of the season.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Giovanni Leoni of Liverpool receives medical remedy to an damage earlier than being substituted off throughout the Carabao Cup Third Spherical match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield on September 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Picture by Stu Forster/Getty Photos)
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While the absences within the short-term are irritating, the long-term ramifications are heartbreaking for the Azzurri. Horrific accidents suffered by the nation’s brightest prospects, particularly at such a younger age, can have after-effects for years to come back and a few of these rising stars are extinguished earlier than they even have their second to burn brightest.
Lastly, some blame should be positioned on and its golf equipment. Groups in Italy are turning an increasing number of to overseas expertise, as an alternative of growing Italians, and that is inflicting additional points for the Azzurri. Some sides in Serie A will subject almost complete groups of gamers from overseas, which in itself shouldn’t be an issue, however total results in much less Italians being given alternatives to indicate what they’ll do.
Some might name for the league to create new rules that however this would seem bureaucratically unimaginable.
Large groups will stress that if Italian groups are to compete with Europe’s elite, they should depend on gifted gamers from overseas. Nonetheless, this creates the Catch 22 within the sense that for Italy to profit as a nationwide workforce, the home league might should be handicapped. And, finally, cash talks – so there appears little chance that the over-reliance on overseas gamers can be curtailed.
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