In the upcoming second round of the Europa League group stage at 3:00 a.m. Beijing time on June 21, Italy will face Spain. Before the match, Italian national team head coach Luciano Spalletti said in a press conference that he will do his best to lead the team to show the real level of soccer.
Facing questions from reporters, Spalletti first talked about the choice of penalty takers. He emphasized that Italy has a number of reliable penalty takers in the team, including Scaramacca and Retegui, who all have the ability to make the difference at crucial moments.
When asked if there will be a lot of adjustments for the upcoming match, Spalletti said that he will announce the lineups on the day of the match as he wants to maintain flexibility and make the best choices based on the players' form and the opponents' tactics. He emphasized that this match is extremely important for him as he is eager to lead his team to a good result in the Europa League.
Talking about the Spanish team, Spalletti believes that they have always stuck to their soccer philosophy and this adherence has made them the best in world football. He acknowledged that Spain have a significant advantage in terms of possession and technique, but the Italians will try to match their opponents in terms of reaction time and tactical execution.
Responding to a question about the technical aspects of the game, Spalletti pointed out that technique is of course key, but the team also needs to be prepared tactically and physically. He admitted that the Italian team may be slightly lacking in the ability to dish out the ball, but emphasized that the team will make up for this shortcoming through overall tactics.
Finally, when asked if the game was like a derby, Spalletti made it clear that for him, every game is as important as a derby.
