Former Italy coach Luciano Spalletti has admitted he is still struggling to come to terms with his dismissal as national team manager, describing the experience as one that has left a lasting emotional scar. The 65-year-old Tuscan, who was sacked after Italy’s shock defeat to Norway in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, said the episode continues to haunt him and has affected his daily life.
“It never goes away. It keeps me awake at night and affects everything I do because my mind always goes back there,” Spalletti told La Repubblica. “Sometimes I feel happy for a moment, but then it all comes rushing back. I didn’t manage to convey to the players how much I cared for them. When they offered me the job, I didn’t sleep for two days. Even when this wound heals, it will remain a painful scar.”
Spalletti, who guided Italy to the 2023 Nations League title but failed to replicate that success in the following years, reflected on what he believes were his mistakes. He admitted pushing too hard on the themes of identity and patriotism, which may have placed additional pressure on the squad.
“My mistake was insisting too much on this sense of belonging, of national identity,” he said. “I asked them to sing the anthem, to shout a battle cry before every training session. I wanted to stimulate the pride I felt in myself, but it was too much. Still, I don’t think accepting the job was a mistake. The national team doesn’t ask; it calls. When the national team calls, you don’t hesitate, you answer.”
Despite the disappointment, Spalletti defended his players, rejecting claims that Italy no longer produces top-level talent. “I told them not to listen to anyone who says they are not good enough. They are of the highest level. Even though it ended this way, the responsibility is only mine. I would never do without players like Bastoni, Barella and Dimarco. After the European Championship, we were doing the right things, and I thought we had found the way. But sometimes, like in our countryside, you dig a channel for water, and it takes its path, creating a chasm.”
Italy, which famously won Euro 2020, have endured a turbulent period in recent years, failing to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups before Spalletti’s ill-fated tenure. The search for his successor continues as the Azzurri aim to salvage their World Cup qualifying campaign.
