On September 7 at 02:45, in the first round of Group B in League A of the Nations Cup, France will host Italy at the Parc des Princes.
Both teams experienced a disappointing UEFA Euro 2024, but despite France’s poor performance, they reached the semi-finals, while Italy was eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland.
Sparazzetti said, “From the lineup of the French team, you can see how strong they are, so I expect the match to be very tough. We must act as a team. I’ve seen good things in training and hope to replicate them in the game. On a tactical level, the French team almost gives you the illusion that they can control the game, but once they regain possession, their forwards can cause trouble for anyone in open spaces.”
“If you understand what happened and why it happened, you will become different. We have done this, and now the players’ mindset is crucial. We need to look to the future because this is a new era, and from now on, we are doing something new. I see young players with the potential to become top players, who may still need some experience. Against Switzerland, we were not only inferior to them but also to ourselves.”
“I strongly believe I can achieve good results, but my approach in pursuing these results has been insufficiently humanistic. This might be a mistake. I think and have already told the players that they bear no responsibility for this. Donnarumma is a perfect captain because he has gone through everything possible. He started as a kid in Milan and matured much earlier than most ordinary players. Now he is at an international level, and when he stretches his arms, he almost covers the entire goal, intimidating opponents.”