ROME: Italy manager Luciano Spalletti pledged to rebuild his team after their disappointing performance in the recent European Championship.

The reigning champions exited the tournament in Ger­many in the last 16 following a 2-0 defeat by Switzerland with the side only winning once in the group stage.

“When we talk about failure at the Euros, we need to be more precise in our analysis, because in my opinion, it only relates to the game against Switzerland, which was very bad,” Spalletti told reporters on Monday.

“Now, we turn a new page and from now on, we have to think more about our identity. I am going to create a new group, a new team, putting less pressure on them and hopefully they feel the beauty of the Azzurri shirt even more.”

Spalletti accepted the responsibility for Italy’s poor showing.

“I probably put too much pressure on them and did not give them the opportunity to enjoy the experience in an Italy shirt,” he said. “I need to be careful with trying new things or bringing a new message. I think this is the time to try something different, which inevitably means excluding some players.”

The 65-year-old added that he wanted to give his side more freedom on the pitch, mirroring the successful approach that led his former side Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years.

“We have players who have made history in past call-ups. We are dealing with a team that has a lot of quality, and a massive possibility of reaching higher levels,” Spalletti said. “What you do in the game makes all the difference, and we will try to give them more freedom to put their quality into practice because the players have quality.”

Italy play Nations League matches against France on Friday and Israel in Budapest on Sept 9.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2024