From an Italy perspective, this is a team in transition. The better team clearly won yesterday.
I have faith the team will be markedly stronger in 2026, once Spaletti gets to fully implement his system.
He is a great coach, and as a Napoli fan, he put together the most memorable season in the club’s history by winning the scudetto last season (even better than the Maradona years because the team was not as talented as the 1980’s group), but was hired hastily once Mancini bailed after the first two qualifiers to take the Saudi job at $25 million a year (nice combination of far greater money and far less pressure).
The team is being built from the back out. Italy has always had great goalkeepers and Donnarumma is next in line. He is clearly one of the best in the world, while his backup Vicario, has done well at Tottenham.
Bastoni and Calafiore (the own goal was fluky) are very good center backs. And their younger national teams have been doing well.
The team should still advance out of the “group of death” and depending on matchups, maybe reach the quarterfinals, which is good for me.
That’s it for me. I wanted to pivot this thread from being too German-centric. After all, Italian food, wine, and sports cars are still the undisputed kings.
