Italy's coach Gennaro Gattuso admitted nerves are unavoidable as the Italy national football team try to avoid missing a third straight World Cup, saying only “someone without blood running through their veins” would stay calm in such a moment.
Still carrying the same fire that defined his role in Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph, Gattuso cut a familiar figure on the touchline, intense and uncompromising.
Ahead of Thursday’s playoff against the Northern Ireland national football team, he also hinted at a major decision, revealing he had sent home winger Federico Chiesa in a move that could signal a decisive break from one of the standout players of Italy’s European Championship-winning campaign five years ago.
“There’s no denying the tension,” Gattuso said Monday. “Only someone without blood running through their veins wouldn’t feel it. But our job is to channel that into positivity.”
That optimism, however, has been hard to find in recent playoff campaigns. Italy’s last two World Cup bids ended in heartbreak, eliminated by the Sweden national football team and the North Macedonia national football team, leaving the Azzurri on the brink once again.
Italy is in jeopardy at the same stage for the next World Cup in North America after two losses to Norway in qualifying. The Azzurri need to beat Northern Ireland at home in Bergamo and then Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away next week to avoid going at least 16 years without playing a match at soccer’s biggest event.
“There are no alibis,” Gattuso said. “It’s useless to think about whether we could have done better. The only thing we should be thinking about is Thursday’s game. Forget that we’ve won four World Cups, two European Championships and an Olympic title. For us, the only game is Thursday’s.
“All of the players who are here today know what we’re playing for and how important it is.”
Chiesa was sent back to Liverpool FC after briefly rejoining the national team for the first time in nearly two years.
“He had some minor physical issues and we decided it was useless for him to stay,” Gattuso said.
But why are other injured players like Sandro Tonali, Gianluca Scamacca and Alessandro Bastoni staying with the team? Especially after Gattuso said when he replaced Luciano Spalletti in June that injured players would remain with the squad to improve team spirit.
“Because not every player has the same frame of mind,” Gattuso said. “When I hear that someone is wavering, that’s when I know I need to make a choice. We decided it together. He felt he wasn’t up to it and he went home. I need to accept it.”
Nicolò Cambiaghi has replaced Chiesa.
Chiesa has played only sparingly since joining Liverpool from Juventus FC two years ago and has started only one Premier League match this season.
Northern Ireland also lost a key player Monday when center back Daniel Ballard was ruled out with a hamstring injury. The Sunderland AFC defender is among the few with top-flight experience in the squad.
Conor Bradley, Northern Ireland’s captain and a Liverpool right back, was already out injured.
Since Gattuso was unable to convince authorities to set up a training camp in the four months since Italy last played, he and delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon traveled across Italy, as well as to London, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, meeting players over dinners to maintain team spirit.
“There was no whiteboard or markers,” Gattuso said. “We didn’t go to talk about football or tactics. We were there to create team unity.”
Gattuso said he chose to play in Bergamo’s 23,500-seat stadium to create a more positive atmosphere. When Italy lost to Norway at San Siro in November, he noticed that AC Milan and Inter Milan fans would whistle at players from rival clubs.
“At the first errant pass you start hearing the whistles,” Gattuso said. “Whereas when we played in Bergamo we were cheered at halftime when it was 0-0.”
Italy led Norway 1-0 at halftime in November before Norway scored four second-half goals, including a brace from Erling Haaland.
“I really worked a lot over these months on dealing with adversity. One event shouldn’t change the dynamics of a match,” Gattuso said. “It depends on how you react and deal with it.”
The playoff comes following a string of successes for Italians in other sports, from the Winter Olympics to Formula 1, tennis, volleyball and even baseball.
“These things go in cycles,” Gattuso said. “When I see us winning in other sports, it motivates me. It makes me feel pride. Right now our history tells us that we’re struggling. But we’ve got a big chance here to reach our goal.”
If Italy qualifies for the World Cup, it will be placed in Group B with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
