AC Milan News – Former coach Fabio Capello has been scathing in his criticism of Luciano Spalletti over his selection of the Italian national team. This comes after Italy failed to qualify for the next round of the European Championship, losing 2-0 to Switzerland.
Defeat to Switzerland and Failure of Italy
Italy suffered a disappointing defeat to the Swiss National Team, ending their campaign at the tournament. The defeat added to a long list of difficulties the Azzurri have faced in recent years, despite their previous success in Europe. The defeat also sparked debate about the absence of AC Milan representatives in the national team.
Criticism from Capello
In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Capello criticized Spalletti’s decisions, especially regarding the selection of players and the system used. According to Capello, the changes in system implemented by Spalletti caused confusion among the players.
“From what I saw, I think the change of system caused confusion, especially among the players. Jorginho and Fagioli became playmakers, but none of them were Lobotka. They have different skills. Xhaka does what he wants. But I would use another word for Spalletti – arrogance,” Capello said.
Capello also highlighted Spalletti’s strategy in the match against Spain, which he said was more like a club coach’s tactic than a national team coach’s. He considered Spalletti to be too confident in his team’s ability without considering the strength of the opponent.
“Against Spain, I think Spalletti acted like a club coach. He sent the team out onto the pitch and said, ‘Here we are. Let’s see if we’re better than them.’ He picked four defenders against the best winger in the Euros, and we saw who was better.”
Spalletti and Players’ Accountability
Capello also stated that although Spalletti had a big responsibility for this failure, the players must also feel the weight of the uniform they wear.
“Who is more responsible? Spalletti or the players? That’s a good question. Of course, Spalletti has a lot of responsibility, but the footballers have to feel the weight of the shirt. I’ve never seen Italy play like this. And let me add something I don’t like. Everything is too sensational: words, training sessions, events… We’ve seen a little bit of everything. I prefer a low-profile culture and hard work.”
Lack of Big Club Representation
Capello also highlighted another issue he believes is impacting the national team, namely the lack of representation from big clubs such as AC Milan and Juventus.
“When there is no AC Milan player in the team and not even a Juve player in the starting XI, then the alarm bells should ring. If these clubs do not have valuable players for the national team, we have a problem,” Capello added.
With this criticism, Capello hopes that there will be a serious evaluation of the player selection and strategy used by Spalletti in order to improve the performance of the Italian National Team in the future.
