Twelve years without a World Cup. And that in the best case. The historic disaster in Italy will leave a huge wound because of how it has come about, after a triumph in the European Championship, and for the team that Mancini had. Italian football has many problems, but the coach had enough material to beat Bulgaria, Switzerland, Northern Ireland and North Macedonia. Now, he has to rebuild, once again.
Mancini, who defined yesterday’s as “the biggest disappointment of his career”, He said that this is not the time to talk about his future. Gravina, president of the FIGC, was clear about it: “I hope it continues. There is a project and we have the energy to react.” Later, he attacked the Serie A clubs: “Young people should play more in our leagues. In the Spring only 30% Italians are used.”
There was less optimism in the press. ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’ He spoke of “a disaster”, of a goodbye “to the World Cup, to the European Championship, to everything”, due to an “unlikely, useless, imprecise” siege after the umpteenth game that Italy “does not know how to win”.
Disaster was clearly the most quoted term. “Incredible, it has happened to us again”, headlined ‘Corriere dello Sport’, while ‘Tuttosport’, which used the same word, also spoke of “a nightmare”.
The generalist ‘Corriere della Sera’ opened his website defining what happened “the lowest in the history of Italian football”, due to “too much tactics, little technique, too high salaries and little football culture”, and falling to a National Team “that many, until recently, did not even know”.
Among the Azzurri, the first to show his face was captain Chiellini, who left his possible and definitive goodbye to the Nazionale in the air, asking the coach not to leave: “We’re devastated, but hopefully Mancini stays.” One of the saddest faces was that of Jorginho. The penalties missed in September by Chelsea were decisive for the disaster: “I think it will hurt me for the rest of my life,” he said crestfallen, “failing like that twice is something that stays with you.” The tifosi will agree.
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Italy explodes: “It is the lowest moment in our history”