THE ITALIAN INQUISITION
Nation turns fury on coach as stars quit
The Italians grieved yesterday as only they know how. ‘Fuori Tutti’ (‘everybody out’) stated Corriere dello Sport. ‘Fine’ (‘The end’) proclaimed La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The nation’s first absence from a World Cup in 60 years means some schadenfreude at the fate of an old foe who’ve too often had the beating of us. But Italy’s agedefining 1-0 aggregate play- off defeat by Sweden should also provide badly needed perspective about Gareth Southgate’s team.
To say there was little celebration when england beat Slovenia to secure their World Cup place is an understatement.
But the narrative looks a little different today as the line-up for next summer comes into focus. Arjen Robben’s holland, Alexis Sanchez’s Chile, Gianluigi Buffon’s Italy and Gareth Bale’s Wales will all be absent, while an england built substantially on raw potential await the World Cup draw in Moscow on December 1.
Italy’s state of introspection yesterday bore all the hallmarks of a full-blown english inquisition.
Reasons for failure cited within the country were as varied as the poor state of club stadiums — only Juventus operate their own, AC Milan, Inter, Roma, Lazio and Napoli do not — to foreign players blocking the route into Serie A sides and good Italian players leaving for the Premier League.
But several english coaches who have observed the country’s game at close quarters told
Sportsmail they believed the abundance of old players in a national side culturally never known for pace has blocked the path for a new generation.
At 69, Gian Piero Ventura has been an ineffectual manager, too weak to stand up to the old guard.
Many share the view that 25-year-old Brazilian-born Jorginho should have experienced far more than his three appearances that preceded Monday’s game. As Napoli manager four years ago, Rafa Benitez privately enthused about Lorenzo Insigne, whom he blooded. Yet the stubborn Ventura could not accommodate a player who has been in wonderful form for the Serie A leaders.
There have certainly been signs of a need to renew. Italy have won just one game at the World Cup since winning it in 2006 — against england in Brazil, while Ventura had used three different systems in the past four games.
It’s also been suggested Italy could have used friendlies to build their world ranking and avoid Spain in qualifying. They’d won only five out of 21 non-qualifiers, losing to the USA and haiti.
But the sequence of england’s last 11 friendly opposition reads: Brazil, Germany, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Turkey, holland, Germany, France. In fairness, the FA have not sought to hide. That’s barely been acknowledged within these shores, where the lack of euphoria over england qualification is now taken as a fact of life.
When the team made it to euro 2016, Gary Neville felt so strongly about the celebration being too low key that he insisted a small drinks event be thrown for the players at Wembley.
Only five of the squad invited apparently accepted the glass of champagne on offer.
In Italy, a generation who have grown old together will now be replaced. Buffon, 39, Giorgio Chiellini, 33, Daniele De Rossi, 34, and Andrea Barzagli, 36, have all announced their international retirements, although Ventura had still not quit by last night.
When the coach asked substitute De Rossi to warm up late on Monday, the midfielder pointed at fellow substitute Insigne, who the coach was still refusing to call upon. ‘Why the hell should I go on?’ the lip- readers decided De Rossi had said. ‘We don’t need a draw here. We need to win.’
This rebellion was a footnote to Italy’s national grief. Just imagine how it would have played out in the wake of england’s elimination to a Scandinavian nation ranked 25th in the world. The culprit would have been flayed alive.