Tribal Football

Sacchi: Spalletti an excellent coach; international football doesn't suit him

Carlos Volcano
Sacchi: Spalletti an excellent coach; international football doesn't suit him
Sacchi: Spalletti an excellent coach; international football doesn't suit himEmmanuele Mastrodonato/Ipa Sport / Zuma Press / Profimedia
Former Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi says removing Luciano Spalletti isn't addressing the issues at the heart of the local game.

Spalletti will leave the Azzurri post after tonight's World Cup qualifier with Moldova.

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In reaction, Sacchi told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "There is enough material to write a novel, which for now, unfortunately, would not have a happy ending. It is difficult for me to comment on the decision to send Spalletti away.

"I consider him an excellent coach, and I will not change my mind just because he did not enchant at the helm of Italy. The problem is that in the national team he was not able to work as he was always used to doing, every day on the pitch, in constant contact with the players.

"In the long run this penalised him. And then he was certainly not helped by the choices of the clubs that focus on foreign players and do not value Italians. Where are you going, if you don't have the players?"

 

Plenty of blame to share

However, Sacchi says Spalletti also needed to shoulder some blame for Italy's poor performances.

He continued, "It is right to underline his responsibilities, because he is the captain of the ship. In Oslo he presented a team without character, without grit, soft, apathetic, without ideas. But I remain convinced that in Italy we must make a cultural leap to have a high-level national team.

"If we did not go to the World Cup twice in a row and now we risk not going for the third time, there must be profound reasons, right? 

"Always the responsibility of the technical commissioners, or perhaps we need to review something in the general organization of Italian football?"