Spain clash worth much more than three points

Italy coach  Luciano Spalletti has said Italy wants to ‘dominate proceedings’ against Spain as they lock horns today in their second group games in the 2024 European Championship.

This is a massive statement from the former Napoli boss. 

Spain decimated Croatia with a 3-0 goal win in their opener, while Italy came from behind to defeat Albania. With both teams going into the game on the back of a positive run, this is something this predecessor, Roberto Mancini, should have done three years ago despite beating the Spaniards and qualifying for the Euro final.

During a pre-match press conference on Wednesday, the tactician said the Azzurri want to “show a crazy desire to prove we are also an important [footballing] school.”

While noting that the clash against Spain is worth much more than just three points, Spalletti pointed out that Spain are one of the best countries in the world when it comes to footballing identity.

Stressing that Italy would try to “dominate proceedings,” the coach knows that might be difficult as they wouldn’t necessarily keep possession longer than their opponents.

“Sometimes we may attack, and other times we may be forced to defend in our half, but the idea is always to try to play football. Spain became Spain, and their school of football is known because they’ve always played the same brand. That’s how they became so recognizable,” argued the ex-Napoli boss.

While noting that Spain were able to maintain the same football philosophy, he said there often talks about international football and different schools of thought, some more defined by schools than Italy. 

“To get to that stage, follow Spain’s playbook. Come up with the same philosophy again and again.”

Historically, they share different philosophies. The Azzurri are known in their football mainly for a strong defence, low block, and counter-attacks, while Pep Guardiola has inspired Spain’s tiki-taka style over the last 15 years, with the country reaching the summit of world football.

This time, Italy is changing their style to a balanced one that comes with attacking. Thus, Spalletti doesn’t want to leave the ball to their opponents, so he aims to play on par with La Roja.