On the eve of the match, Italy's national team coach Luciano Spalletti attended a press conference

Italy will face Israel in the second round of the UEFA Nations League group stage. On the eve of the match, Italy's national team coach Luciano Spalletti attended a press conference.

Q: Arrigo Sacchi said that the victory against France isn’t enough to make Italy too excited too early. What do you think of his comments?  
A: I read Sacchi's remarks, and I think he's right. He pointed out the difficulties we could face if we're not well-prepared. This will be a completely different game compared to the one against France, and it's hard to replicate that. This morning, I discussed this with the players; if we're not as prepared as we were against France, we’ll be in trouble.

Q: Besides Calafiori being unavailable, will you make other changes to the lineup?  
A: It's hard to field the same team as Friday’s match, as you can’t fully recover from fatigue in just two days. We’ll assess the players’ conditions, but I will rotate three to five players.

Q: Tonali is a very important player for you. How do you view his return?  
A: We welcomed him back with open arms. He’s a very important player for us because he has great ability. Now that he’s with us, we see a new Tonali—eager to showcase his ability as a player, someone capable of helping everyone on the pitch because he knows how to do everything. The teammates really like him, and it’s great to have him back in the locker room to serve the team.

Q: Italy won the European Championship three years ago but then failed to qualify for the World Cup. What do you think hasn’t gone well in the past three years, and how do you see the future of the national team?  
A: I've heard different views on the national team. I always approach it from my own perspective: a country like Italy will always have 20 players capable of forming a strong team, no matter the time period. Maybe we need to seize the right moments. For example, right now, from a technical football perspective, we don’t have players of the traditional Italian mold. We don’t have Baggio, Del Piero, or Totti. But we have many players who can do a lot of things, players who know how to adapt, whose football is full of emotion and sacrifice. These qualities set us apart—we prefer to take responsibility as a team. Last Friday, we weren’t just a team; we were brothers working together, and that’s the key to overcoming any difficulty.

Q: Can Bastoni play two games in a row? How about Frattesi?  
A: Bastoni will play tomorrow because having both him and Calafiori out would make things complicated. He’s one of our most experienced players, and his performance benefits the whole team. As for Frattesi, we’ll evaluate him in today’s training, but he says he feels good and has no issues. He was substituted earlier, avoiding any major danger, so now we just need to see how he does in training.

Q: After Ukraine, you'll face Israel next. How can football play a role in these circumstances?  
A: Given the difficulties they’ve gone through, Israel will be determined to showcase their social issues. They’ll put twice the effort on the pitch, wanting to respond to the challenges they face.

Q: Your teams always have a unique identity. Can you bring that to the national team?  
A: When I approach this sport, this competition, I always think I can find solutions through the players and the quality of the game. Often, I find myself with professionals who know how to fight and improve. Right now, I need to recover this will first, becoming strong in character, running, and spirit. Last Friday, I saw many positives. We won the game against France, and that’s good for everyone—it deserves media attention. I believe we can recreate the same football we played in that match.

Q: Has the team’s mood changed after Friday’s game?  
A: I’ve tried to do things differently because some of what I did before was wrong. We must be able to understand what we do and reflect on it. I changed some things, and I’ve seen a team that immediately became cohesive and united. In my opinion, we missed some people in the past, and it made them uneasy. Then we brought in players with different qualities. Everyone adapts to do something, and this has allowed us to play various styles of football. Sometimes we pressed high, sometimes we defended deep, going back to our traditional football. But sometimes, we also controlled the ball in midfield, playing different styles. At times, we also adapted to physical challenges, like the English style, with duels focused on the forwards. There were elements of Italian football, Spanish football, and English football… Their possession was 53%, and ours was 47%, which wasn’t easy. We often switched the play with quality, like Dimarco and Tonali did during the goal. I heard someone say, “We finally played Italian-style football.” To me, that move was very much Italian, but you can simplify things however you like.

That said, our performance was good, but I want to point out that none of the three goals came from counterattacks. We were always compact and united, looking more like a brotherhood. Everyone knew what to do; no one was ordering others around. In Frattesi’s goal, Retegui passed between two central defenders in a perfect way, and it was clear Frattesi played at his best. We saw some high-quality football, and we showed that we’re part of every competition.

Q: Is there a midfielder who will definitely play? Will you need more forwards tomorrow?  
A:The quality in midfield will make things difficult for the opponent, as I won’t show you who’s getting into the box, but someone definitely will. We need to pay attention to their transitions and preventive measures, as they will use the space we leave open. Being a great midfielder means ensuring they are right on the edge of the box. Moise Kean will likely play: since we can’t repeat things, it’s best to let him make a decisive impact. Kean has already proven his ability. Then, we’ll assess the three midfielders—whether to bring Raspadori in again or use another midfielder, as we have other options like Brescianini. From a mental and numerical perspective, the team is in great shape.