🇮🇹 Gattuso: reasons for and against, 3️⃣ pros and cons for Italy ❗
Will Gennaro Gattuso be the new coach of the Italian National Team? Nothing is set in stone yet, but the World Cup champion's name is definitely leading the pack compared to the other candidates.
Clearly not the Federation's first choice, this is a 'fallback' option that comes with both pros and cons. Let's look at 3 reasons why Gattuso could be a good choice, and 3 reasons that make us doubt his appointment.
1) Is Gattuso really the right character right now?
One of the harshest criticisms of Spalletti's management was that he created too heavy, tense, almost neurotic an atmosphere within the National Team. During the Euros, the team seemed confused and appeared to feel the pressure: a united group, yes, but also a group that didn't seem to be enjoying itself.
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In this respect, Gattuso seems like a similar profile—different in his ways, but certainly not 'lighthearted'; on the contrary, he has always been a very intense person. After all, 'Ringhio' ('Growl') isn't a nickname given by chance.
The other two options for the National Team were Claudio Ranieri and Stefano Pioli: two coaches capable of taking the pressure off the group, restoring calm, and then trying to rebuild the joy of going to Coverciano. So the question is legitimate: will the team be able to rediscover the 'pleasure of playing' with Gattuso?
2) Another formation: risk or necessity?
After the Euros, Italy chose a clear formation to start over: a 3-man defense, players making runs into half-spaces to support a lone striker. Against France, this formation paid off, but almost exclusively in that match. Donnarumma himself attested to this: 'We lost our balance.'
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Gattuso, on the other hand, prefers a 4-man defense: in his career, he has rarely used a 3-man defense. He has often fielded two wingers, who were practically excluded from recent call-ups.
The new coach will probably adopt a different style from Spalletti, who had 'leaned' on the Inter block, replicating its strengths and weaknesses on a smaller scale: coordinated movements (when well executed) but little unpredictability on the ball. Will Italy adapt right away?
3) He's only taken over mid-season once: there's no time
The other concern is the time available, because Gattuso has only taken over a team mid-season once in his career: in December 2017, when he took charge of AC Milan.
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His experience at Milan wasn't negative, but some doubts arise from his initial results with the Rossoneri: his impact in the league was a draw in his debut (against Benevento), a win (against Bologna), and two consecutive losses to Verona and Atalanta. Only after that came the derby win that relaunched the season.
In this case, Gattuso won't have time to settle in: he'll have to win right away and, if possible, by a large margin—perhaps hoping that Norway stumbles along the way.
1) Gattuso can instill a sense of responsibility
Gennaro Gattuso knows what it means to win with the National Team: he did it in 2006 and is one of the best men to transmit the sense of responsibility that—at least on the surface—seems to be missing from some Azzurri players.
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All his players have always emphasized this: 'Gattuso asks you to bleed for the shirt,' a strong image, but probably the only thing the current National Team can do. There's little time and somehow they need to bounce back: if not with ideas, at least with spirit. And in this sense, Gattuso knows how to make himself understood.
2) He can call up those who truly deserve it
Spalletti's decision to create a specific technical project was a response to the confusion at the Euros, but the tactics he proposed led to the exclusion (from the squad or starting eleven) of some in-form players: Orsolini above all, and many wingers in general.
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Orsolini, who against Norway beat his man and was scolded: 'Play with the team' is the emblem of what's been described. Gattuso will now be able to call up those who have actually played better: from Orsolini and Zaccagni (perhaps even letting them play) to Mancini in defense, who had an excellent second half of the season.
After all, a selector must do this too: not only choose who fits his project best, but also call up those who are playing better and create a suitable context for them to express themselves.
3) For Gattuso, it's an unexpected opportunity
There's no doubt that Gattuso gives 110% of himself in every experience he faces, but this time it could be the personal opportunity for him to surpass himself. Because this opportunity is unexpected: a coach going from terminating his contract with Hajduk Split to the Italian National Team is a one-off.
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Accepting the Azzurri bench is a turning point in his career: to relaunch himself at the highest level or to drop further down the European hierarchy. Because the mutual termination with Valencia (a club in serious trouble) and the sacking from Marseille—which finished 2nd in Ligue 1 this year—represent a step back compared to his experiences with Milan and Napoli.
In short, it's not just 'do or die' for the Azzurri players but also for Gattuso. He, as always, will give his all.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
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