The Azzurri are now hoping for an app, it has already come that far. The tool is called Hudl and was developed in the USA by Agile Sports Technologies Inc. Sports coaches can apparently easily upload video clips, tactical lessons, short motivational speeches. Luciano Spalletti, Italy’s new Commissario tecnico, fills the app together with his game analysts.
This means that the coach’s world of ideas is always open to the players, even when studying in the home office when they are active for their clubs, or in the hotel room when they are traveling with the Nazionale. You see, for example, Spalletti’s high pressing and counter-aggression after losing the ball – the concepts are intended to burn themselves into the footballers’ heads like mantras. Again, it’s about everything.
Italy is once again worried about qualifying for a major tournament. After missing two World Cup finals in a row, participation in the European Championships in Germany is still up in the air – for the current European champions, mind you. Isn’t it unfair, the Italians ask, that title holders in Europe do not have the right to automatic participation in the next tournament, as was the case with world champions in the past?
The scenarios for déjà vu with “our nightmare”
The Italians still have two games left in Group C and are only third. England have already qualified, quite easily. Ukraine is in second place, three points ahead of Italy, but has played one more game. And behind Italy comes North Macedonia, yes, of all things, “feared enemy North Macedonia”, the “bogeyman”, “our nightmare” – that’s what Italy’s media have been calling number 66 in the Fifa ranking since a night in Palermo in spring 2022, which we’ll talk about in a moment should be.
This is what it looks like now: If Italy wins against North Macedonia in the almost sold-out Roman Olympic Stadium this Friday evening, then a draw against Ukraine next Monday at the alternative venue Leverkusen would be enough to qualify directly for the European Championships in second place – in the event of a tie on points, that counts Direct comparison, and the Italians defeated the Ukrainians 2-1 in the first leg. However, if Italy doesn’t win against North Macedonia, it would inevitably have to beat Ukraine. Because in third or fourth place there would still be a test that Italy would rather avoid due to sad experience: playoffs in spring 2024.
So back to that spring night in Palermo, March 2022, the thorn in the psyche of national calcio. At that time, the Italians failed to qualify directly for the World Cup in Qatar and had to go into the playoffs, two games, two opponents.
Then Trajkovski scored in the 92nd minute and spring was over for Italy
The first game against North Macedonia was considered a formality at the time. Palermo’s Renzo Barbera stadium seemed to be the right address, a compact, full arena, lots of euphoria. But then the misfortune happened: the North Macedonian striker Aleksandar Trajkovski, who had previously played for Palermo in this same stadium for four years, who knows the wind conditions there, the nature of the pitch, the whole dynamic of the “Barbera” – this Trajkovski scored the 1: 0, in the 92nd minute.
The formality became a fantasy, a ghost. In general: North Macedonia! Italy have played a total of four times against this not-so-terrifyingly big opponent, only winning once, and that was a long time ago: in 2016 in Skopje. It was a fight there too, 3-2, thanks to a goal in stoppage time from Ciro Immobile. Of all the Italians, Immobile seems to be the least impressed by the supposed superiority: he has already scored three times against these North Macedonians, not a bad rate. But Immobile won’t be there in Rome this time. He’s out of shape, says Coach Spalletti.
Jorginho’s return also has an ironic touch
Giacomo Raspadori, Napoli’s replacement center forward, will probably be deployed in the center of attack. And if he doesn’t score, there would still be Gianluca Scamacca from Atalanta Bergamo and Moise Kean from Juventus Turin on the bench, to name just the role players, the nine. But the most attention will probably fall on a returnee who had already been questioned as to whether he would ever wear azure blue again: Jorginho, 31 years old, an Italian-Brazilian who works for Arsenal FC. He is once again the director, the cruise control in the center, like in the European Championship triumph in 2021.
And that’s not entirely without irony either: with his missed penalty in the World Cup qualifier against Switzerland in autumn 2021, Jorginho ruined the spring night in Palermo for the Italians. When asked if he would be willing to take a penalty if there was one against North Macedonia, he said: “Yes, I don’t feel any blockage.” Is that true for the whole team? The Gazzetta dello Sport writes: “We are playing against our own minds. It’s all in the head.”
