The Italian team arrived in the United States on Tuesday, where it will play two preparations for Euro 2024 in the coming days, and received the unexpected reception of tennis player Jannik Sinnerwho Luciano Spalletti, head coach of ‘Nazionale’, he is considered a role model for his players to follow.
Just an hour after the Italian team arrived in Florida, Spalletti scheduled training at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, home of Inter Miami Lionel Messi and where the current European champion will face Venezuela on Thursday starting at 10:00 pm On Sunday the rival will be Ecuador in Harrison.
A training with a surprise
A planned training session so that the players overcome the negative effects of the time difference as soon as possible. But the Italian coach He also thought about the mental aspect of his internationals.
Hence the welcome committee Sinner, the new great reference of Italian sport at 22 years old after handing his country the Davis Cup in November 2023, won the Australian Open in January in addition to climbing to the third spot in the ATP rankings he currently holds.
“Just a little is enough”
“Now it’s easier to talk about discipline and motivation. “Just take a little piece of it.”Spalletti told his players when introducing Sinner, who is in Florida participating in the Miami Masters 1,000 after losing in the final at Indian Wells. before Carlos Alcarazwho considers him the best tennis player at the moment.
Spalleti, as he repeats in his public appearances and interviews, sees in Sinner, a Milan fan, a model for the calmness with which he faces matches, his participation in training and modesty outside slopes.
“We follow you with pride (…) Everyone is only talking about tennis thanks to you,” added Gianluigi Buffonlegendary former goalkeeper of the Italian team and now head of the Italian delegation.
Making Italians proud has been Spalletti’s leitmotif since he was replaced Roberto Mancini in August, but the former Naples coach, whom he led to win the scudetto after a 33-year wait, has a lot of work ahead of him.
None of the last two World Cups, Italy suffered to secure its ticket for Euro 2024, which will be played from June 14 to July 14 in Germany, and the Euro Cup title, achieved in 2021 against England on penalties at Wembley, it seemed a long way off.
Extra-sports issues
The latest extra-sports scandals aren’t helping him. After a long suspension of Nicolò Fagioli and Sandro Tonali for betting on clandestine sites, Spalletti was forced on Monday to be fired Francesco Acerbi for his alleged racist insults at John Jesus at Inter-Naples on Sunday.
Spalletti will take advantage of this last concentration before the final stretch the Eurocup, where they will face Spain, Croatia and Albania in the group stageto emphasize the internal regulations it aims to establish during the tournament.
The scene that made him angry
The coach could not bear to see some of his internationals with video games until dawn on the eve of the crucial qualifying match against Ukraine (0-0) that gave them a ticket to the European Championship on the last day of their group.
“Anyone who comes to play stupid has no place in the national team, this is the contract between them and me,” he warned at his press conference on Monday.
Three new additions and a goal scorer are missing
“We will take advantage of these two games to use other game systems and get to know the newcomers better,” continued Spalletti, who called up three debutants: the right back Raoul Bellanova (Torino), the midfielder Michael Folorunsho (Verona) and the forward Lorenzo Lucca (Udinese).
Gone Ciro Immobilethe ‘azzurra’ lacks offensive efficiency: the team’s top scorer in the 28 called up is Nicolò Barella, Inter midfielder, with eight goals in 51 international matches. Sinner has no solution but Spalletti hopes it will serve as inspiration for his players.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
