An Italy in search of serenity amidst the waste of the post-match against Croatia and the ‘tomorrow is now’ of next Saturday in Berlin against Switzerland. All for a national team that returned to the field today to train in view of the round of 16 and did so in front of the great enthusiasm of its fans, who arrived here in Iserlohn to applaud them from all over Germany. Demonstration of immense affection and attachment to the Bel Paese team that the coach, Luciano Spalletti, wanted to repay by opening the entire session to the public, over 400 fans crazy with joy who immediately filled the stands of the Hemberg Stadium. A move, that of the coach, probably also aimed at toning down the tone after the fiery post-match in the heart of the Leipzig Arena. “Good evening” Spalletti shouted towards the stands where journalists and photographers were crowded, as soon as he entered the pitch to lead the first training session in view of the match that already has the flavor of revenge against the Switzerland that prevented Italy from experiencing the second World Cup consecutive.
After the usual warm-up, the small-sided match took place with the players less involved with Croatia, mixed with the youngsters of Borussia Dortmund while the ‘starters’ started working out in the gym on the exercise bikes. Scoring among others were Scamacca and Frattesi (a brace), with Calafiori and Barella the most acclaimed by the public who literally went crazy for the surprise ‘gift’ from the coach. And we have also seen the first indications in view of the round of 16 in Berlin where the coach should start from the three-man defence: without Calafiori suspended, Buongiorno or Mancini could be the ones chosen to replace Bologna’s revelation, with Darmian and Bastoni close to Dimarco for a defense in the name of the Inter-National team. And speaking of the anti-Switzerland structure and the Nerazzurri block, it will be interesting to find out whether the coach will again resort to group meetings with the players like the one with 4 from Inter which gave rise to so much controversy, but also with the one by department like happened in the case of the Romanists Pellegrini and Cristante. And while Retegui could be put forward again with Chiesa and Zaccagni, in fact the pole position after the magic against Croatia, in midfield next to Jorginho and Barella it could be time for Cristante to start from the beginning.
Emblematic, from the perspective of the search for serenity, is an episode in my heart at the end of the training. While the Italy coach was telling his players to break ranks and letting them return to the changing rooms, a small fan managed to take the security at the Hemberg stadium by surprise by rushing onto the pitch and heading towards Spalletti. The coach welcomed the child by immediately picking him up and thus saving him from the intervention of a security man. And not only that, the coach also fulfilled little Elias’s dream-wish of meeting his hero Enrico Chiesa. “I asked Spalletti that I wanted to take a selfie with Chiesa – said little Elias after returning to the stands on an afternoon that he certainly won’t easily forget – and he told me yes, that he would take me to him and so it is I took a selfie with him, it was beautiful.”
Roman player Gianluca Mancini spoke about Switzerland and the possibility of being called to replace the suspended Calafiori: “All the teams are tough in this tournament. We saw Switzerland against Germany, it’s a very physical team, very fast, they run a lot. It will be a high-level match and we will try to recover and get there at our best. They have both young people and more experienced people, it’s a good mix. A team with some important names and other younger ones who certainly have the qualities to do well team has a good mix of experience and youth. Calafiori suspended? “Basto and Cala are playing and doing it very well. Then there’s me, Bongio and Federico (Gatti, ed.) who are there to be ready when the coach gives us a chance or when we have to enter the game or in any way. We are a cohesive and compact group.”
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2024-06-26 18:59:00
#Euro #Italy #search #serenity #Spalletti #Cuore #book
