Kishinev – Moldova lost 11-1 to Norway, but that did not make them victims of classic sacrifice, quite the opposite. Gattuso does not believe in matches that are considered easy, especially this match, which Italy can face with certainty, after Norway-Estonia, being able to finish at most second in the group, namely qualifying for the play-offs in March: “In our time it was like that, here we already played with it by winning 1-0. And I remember that with Sacchi as coach the national team won 3-1 and in the first leg in Reggio Emilia 2-0 it was not easy. I repeat, this is not a picnic.”
Gattuso and Buffon’s message to the Azzurri: “Prioritize the World Cup”
by Enrico Currò
A completely new national team
This will certainly be a great opportunity for everyone who usually plays less. The coach said it at the start of training camp and confirmed it. The starters, apart from Tonali who is still on a yellow card and at risk of disqualification for the play-offs, will return to San Siro on Sunday against Norway: “I confirm that there will be many changes, but without fear. I believe in all these players, they deserve it. I won’t give anything away, I’m sure we will play a great match. I hope we continue to improve.” Space in particular for Buongiorno in defence, supported by Mancini in a 4-4-2 formation (Gabbia would come on later for his debut), for Bellanova at right-back, for Vicario in goal in place of captain Donnarumma, for Cristante in midfield, for Orsolini on the right wing and up front for a resurgent Scamacca, paired with Raspadori, reminiscent of the Sassuolo of old.
National team, Gattuso: “Chiesa didn’t come by choice”
by Enrico Currò
Coverciano’s speech
The coach emphasized his gratitude to the players, which he and delegation head Buffon expressed in a speech at Coverciano in which they underlined the importance of a sense of belonging and attachment to the blue shirt: “I thought there were certain things that could happen in this meeting, but instead I saw a great attachment. We know how it works, we know that there are a lot of games, but everyone wants to be here. Don’t the players give in to the pain? Not only that, otherwise we would consider them as unprofessional. An example is Barella: he was disqualified for this match and could have asked me for days and turned up on Friday at Milanello.
Examples of Sinner and Musetti
The enthusiasm for Sinner and the success of Italian tennis is infectious: “This makes us proud, in Coverciano we watched Musetti until midnight, we were as happy as ever to see who represents our flag in this way: there is also a bit of envy with the context in which the tennis players play, I want to see many new stadiums. I am also proud to see 6-7 million spectators watching our matches, that is a fact that I always ask for. The path is: make people fall in love and you can only do that through appearances. I also feel affection when I go around Italian stadiums: people want us at the World Cup.”
Qualification rules
Gattuso offered one criticism of the qualifying method: “Now it’s our turn, but seeing South America where six of the ten teams go straight to the World Cup and the seventh team has a play-off with Oceania makes me regret it. It’s disappointing, there’s something that needs to be improved.”
Compliments Dimarco
The Inter full-back should rest first, but the coach explained how important he is to the team: “Dimarco has suffered a lot from being labeled a 60-65 minute player, he’s working hard and shaking it off.” Cristante is a veteran player and conveys the team’s point of view, which will not be looking at the result of the Norway-Estonia match: “We prepare for the game by looking at ourselves, not what happens on the other pitch”.
Precedent from 2004
Moldovan coach Popescu focused on fun: “We start the new adventure with enthusiasm.” The last time the national team played in Chisinau was in September 2004 at the Republican stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and the current tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in a border region teeming with refugees, are reminiscent of the times between the Republic of Moldova and Transnistria, a pro-Russian enclave. The match was supposed to be played in Tiraspol, in Transnistria, but Moldovan president Voronin was unpopular there, so it was quickly moved to the capital, with the Republicans quickly repainting it but with a bumpy lawn. Italy won 1-0 through Del Piero’s goal and that was the start of the journey to Berlin 2006.
