Spalletti s final battle: Italian football s crossroads

The lights in the press room were a little dazzling. Spalletti, 65, took off her glasses and gently wiped the lenses. He repeated this action countless times, but this time it was particularly slow. When he said "This will be my last game" the scene was silent, with only the clicking sound of the camera shutter coming one after another.

Just 48 hours ago, the Italian national team encountered a nightmare in Oslo. The score of 0-3 is not only written on the scoreboard, but also engraved in the hearts of every Italian fan. Haaland and Odgao were like a Nordic storm, blowing the dignity of the Blue-Clothed Legion to pieces. What is even more worrying is that this is not just a loss, but the latest footnote to the continued downturn in Italian football in recent years.

"We lost our direction. " An old reporter who has been with the team for 20 years shook his head and sighed in the mixed-choice area. Indeed, since winning the European Cup in 2021, Italian football has been on a roller coaster - first out of the World Cup qualifiers for two consecutive times, and now it is staggering in the UEFA Nations League and the World Cup qualifiers.

Sparetti's coaching career is full of drama. Last summer, he just led Naples to regain the Serie A championship after 33 years and took over the national team coach with great enthusiasm. Who would have thought that in just one year, the coach who once made Maradona Stadium boil would leave in such a sad way. In the locker room, the players' reactions were complicated. "The coach took responsibility, but we should all reflect on it." Captain Donaluma said. Veratti, who was absent due to injury, posted a heartbreaking expression on social media. The team never seemed to have found the chemistry when they won the championship in 2021.

The lights were on in the office of Gravina, the president of the Italian Football Association. According to insiders, after the crushing defeat in Norway, senior officials held an emergency meeting overnight. Some people advocate changing coaches immediately, while others think that Spalletti should be given more time. In the end, the cruel reality defeated the human touch - when the situation of qualifying for the World Cup is in jeopardy, change must happen immediately.

Pioli's name began to appear frequently in media reports. The former AC Milan coach is currently coaching in Saudi Arabia, but his interest in the national team coach is well known. "I would be honored if I could come back." He said in a telephone interview. However, there are more than one option before the Italian Football Association: the old coach Ranieri can stabilize the morale of the army, while the young coach De Rossi represents the future. The match against Moldova in the early morning of the 10th will be Spaletti's farewell performance. Ironically, this game should have been a new beginning - its home debut in the World Cup. Now, it has become the end of an era. What would Spaletti think on the coach's seat? Is it the ambition when I took over last summer, or the helplessness over the past few months? After the final whistle sounds, no matter what the result is, Italian football will usher in a new cycle. But this time, they can't make mistakes again. Because the door to the World Cup is slowly closing.