Gennaro Gattuso stated that Italy must rediscover their fighting spirit, warning that quality alone will not be enough to achieve success.
Gattuso started his coaching debut with Italy in flying colours as the team swept aside Estonia 5-0 in Bergamo. The victory marked a promising beginning to his tenure, but Gattuso was keen to emphasise the importance of his team’s attitude and work rate.
“I was afraid going into the break at 0-0, the team would be tense after the restart, but instead they kept the same attitude,” he said, praising his players for their effort.
The Italian coach highlighted the team’s radical shift in approach, embracing a 4-2-3-1 formation with a front line featuring Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, Mattia Zaccagni, and Matteo Politano. “We knew that we had to take some risks, leaving one-on-one situations on the counter-attack, as we had so many forwards on the field,” Gattuso explained.
Gattuso’s message was clear: quality alone is not enough to achieve success. “As I always said, this team has quality, but you get nowhere with quality alone,” he added. “This team has to do everything vehemently, attack the ball, press hard, show hunger, and I think we saw all of that today.”
The Italy coach also paid tribute to his team’s performance, congratulating the players on their effort. “I congratulate the lads, because for three days we’ve had an incredible atmosphere in training,” he said.
Gattuso’s passion and dedication to the Italian team were clear for all to see as he sang the national anthem before the match. “I did get emotional at the anthem,” he admitted. The coach’s emotional response was a testament to his love for the country and the team.
In a heartfelt gesture, Gattuso dedicated the victory to his family, including his wife and children. “I could hear the voice of my mother from the balcony when I was playing in the street,” he said. “I also dedicate this to my wife, because she’s been putting up with me since 1997, that’s 28 years together.”
