Luciano Spalletti officially resigned as Italy’s national coach on Monday evening. The 66-year-old Italian was still on the bench for the 2-0 victory over Moldova, but afterwards indicated that he considers his work a failure.
“We’ve had a difficult time, the players were exhausted,” Spalletti said at the post-match press conference. “They came in tired. We had them medically checked well, but the heavy end of the club season has clearly left its mark. I tried to turn the tide, but I didn’t make the difference.”
Spalletti was appointed in the summer of 2023 as the successor to Roberto Mancini. He led Italy to the 2024 European Championship, where his team was eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland.
Italy suffered a painful defeat (3-0) in Norway in the first World Cup qualifier on Friday evening. Spalletti was fired two days later, although he still had to take a seat on the bench on Monday evening.
Spalletti saw that his team was physically and mentally exhausted. “Of the 25 players, 18 had an ache. That says it all. The energy was gone.” He did not point to his players, but took responsibility himself. “As a national coach you choose your selection. I tried to get the best out of it, but I didn’t succeed.”
The players reacted calmly to his departure. “They didn’t have to say anything. They already felt it coming,” said Spalletti, who wishes his successor all the best. “I leave the team behind as I found it. That means I didn’t do well.”