Gennaro Gattuso praises his team’s determination after a 5-4 win over Israel, but acknowledges that Italy concedes ‘ridiculous goals too easily.
Gennaro Gattuso described the 5-4 victory over Israel as “the craziest game I’ve been involved with as a coach.” Despite the thrilling win, Gattuso admitted that Italy’s defense was fragile at times, conceding four goals in the process. He emphasized that his team needs to improve its defensive solidity to achieve success in the World Cup qualifiers.
The match was filled with dramatic twists, with Israel taking the lead twice before Italy responded fiercely.
Moise Kean scored twice, and Matteo Politano fired in a goal assisted by Mateo Retegui’s clever back-heel flick. However, Israel clawed back to level the match at 4-4 before Sandro Tonali scored the winner in stoppage time.
Gattuso praised his team’s mentality, saying that they showed heart and a desire to react every time they fell behind. He also commended the players for their efforts, but emphasized that he and his staff need to work on improving the team’s defensive vulnerabilities. Italy scored 10 goals in their two games under Gattuso but conceded four, highlighting the need for improvement.
The Italian coach acknowledged that his team’s attacking style of play contributed to the defensive lapses. “We were crazy to systematically go on the attack, that’s what Israel were waiting for, they hit us on the counter every time,” he said. Gattuso believes that Italy needs to find a better balance between attack and defense.
Despite the defensive concerns, Gattuso is encouraged by his team’s performance, particularly their ability to respond to adversity. “The lads deserve credit for always reacting to every slap in the face,” he said. With six points from two games, Italy moves into second place in their World Cup qualifying group behind Norway.
Gattuso concluded that his team needs to improve to achieve something significant in the World Cup qualifiers. “These have been eight incredible days, I thank the lads for their efforts, but if we want to do something important, we’ve got to improve,” he said.
