Italy ‘in a rebuild’ under Luciano Spalletti ahead of Euro 2024, says James Horncastle - ‘A team in transition’

Italy will go into UEFA Euro 2024 with modest expectations when the defending champions head to Germany this summer, says James Horncastle.

An Azzurri side managed by Roberto Mancini claimed their second European title with victory over England at Wembley three years ago, but Horncastle explained that patience is needed in Luciano Spalletti’s fledgling tenure as boss.

“Luciano Spalletti hasn't been in the job for more than a year,” Italian football guru Horncastle told TNT Sports.

“People always need to keep this in their minds first and foremost when judging this Italy team, because even if they go all the way and retain their trophy, it'll be before his one-year anniversary as the coach.

“It's a team in transition. If you compare it to three years ago, v England at Wembley, the only guys that are still around are Gianluigi Donnarumma the goalkeeper, the penalty shoot-out hero against England, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who was Spalletti's captain in the team that won the league with Napoli last season, Nicolo Barella and Federico Chiesa at Juventus.

“Spalletti finds himself in a rebuild, hasn't had a lot of time with the players and is still figuring things out. In March they experimented with a back three for the first time under him.

“It's not a complete mystery what the team will be, but he is still figuring out his strongest team and expectations are still very much guided by that.

“There's a feeling that Italy have a tough group with Spain, Croatia and Albania, so a quarter-final would be a good result for them.”

Horncastle said one of the quandaries facing Italy coaches in recent years concerned which player would lead the line, but explained that a documented lack of firepower has not been too detrimental to their chances of success in the past.

“Since 2012, Italy has asked itself the question: 'who's our No. 9?' Where is our Alessandro Del Piero, Christian Vieri, Luca Toni, Filippo Inzaghi? When they reached the final in 2012, it was with a very young Mario Balotelli, who people said 'if he sorts himself out, what a big talent he is.'

“His strike partner was Antonio Cassano, who had a similar 'enfant terrible' reputation, and since then in 2016, Antonio Conte had a strike partnership of Graziano Pelle on the basis of what he was doing with Southampton in the Premier League and Eder, but that wasn't entirely convincing.

“Then in 2021 it was Ciro Immobile, who has scored more than 200 goals in Serie A, but has never persuaded people outside or within Italy that he is the right man for the national team.

“The thing to look at, is whilst this debate has been recurrent over the last 12 years, it has not been the problem that it's been cracked up to be on the eve of tournaments because Italy have done very well in the Euros.

“People hone in on the fact that Italy don't qualify for World Cups anymore, but Italy reached the finals of Euro 2000 and Euro 2012, and they probably should've reached the final in 2016 where they went out on penalties to Germany [in the quarter-finals].

“They were really good under Conte, even though they didn't have a lot of talent available to them. I think that's the touchstone for this one which looks a bit in between generations. Then in 2021, Italy weren't favourites, even though they went into that tournament on a long unbeaten run. Not having a striker isn't all that big a problem for them.”

Gianluca Scamacca and Mateo Retegui are the two leading contenders for the No. 9 spot in the Azzurri side, and Horncastle says both players have made a strong case for selection.

He added: “The interesting thing will be, does Spalletti go with Gianluca Scamacca?

“In his second international squad, he had Scamacca up front against England and he scored at Wembley.

“Then he left him out in March, which had a lot of people scratching their heads and ever since then, and Scamacca has taken that personally. He's been magnificent for Atalanta in the meantime, scored more than 20 goals in all competitions.

“Some of his goals have been outstanding and there's this feeling that if he finally fulfils that potential, then Italy have got that striker. So, people are waiting for Spalletti's squad, because it looked like a guy called Mateo Retegui would lead the line.

“A guy who played in Argentina this time last year, didn't speak any Italian but had been called up by Mancini on the basis he had Italian heritage, and in fairness for Retegui when he's played for Italy, he's scored four in five games.

“The debate will be ‘is it going to be Retegui or Scammaca upfront for The Azzurri?’”

Horncastle also reviewed who the key protagonists will be in the Italy squad, and picked out Nicolo Barella as their most-important player this summer.

“Social media would say Federico Chiesa, but anyone who's followed Chiesa over the last 18 months knows that it's been really hard for him because of the knee injury he's suffered,” Horncastle explained.

“A lot of people forget that the X-Factor at that last Euros for Italy was Leonardo Spinazzola, who tore his Achilles tendon, and has only shown flashes of being that player again.

“The player I'd probably pick is Nicolo Barella. Barella is one of the best players in his position in the world. Gritty, lots of energy, gets into the box, scores goals.

“He's so consistent and I know he'll play if he's fit, no shadow of a doubt.”

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