Luciano Spalletti explains his surprise selection for Italy’s Nations League match against France, with just one centre-forward and major changes in midfield. “I am convinced that with our quality we can control the game.”
It starts at 7:45 p.m. British time (6:45 p.m. GMT) at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
In the LIVEBLOG you can follow all the preparation and action live.
This is the opening game of the Nations League group, which also includes Belgium and Israel.
Spalletti explains Azzurri changes
“We have to be ambitious in this task and this type of game can be a shortcut to success,” Spalletti told RAI Sport.
Some of his decisions were quite surprising, such as Andrea Cambiaso from Juventus on the right flank of a 3-5-2 and Lorenzo Pellegrini instead of striker Giacomo Raspadori to support the lone centre-forward Mateo Retegui.
What was the idea behind competing against France in Paris?
“I think I have a lot of quality in the squad,” assured the Italian coach.
“We may not have the one-on-one runs that can shock the opposition, but we have technical quality, all the players know how to play the ball and initiate plays. They all know how to stay in the game for 100 minutes without a break.”
“In my opinion, this will be an advantage because sometimes France allows you to control the game and go on the counterattack.
“I am convinced that with our quality we can control and maintain the game.”
Spalletti had already announced that they would switch to a 3-5-2 formation in the future and abandon the tactical experiments of the 4-3-3 and Roberto Mancini’s approach to winning EURO 2020.
