Giorgio Chielliniformer defender of Juventus and of National, spoke to South German Newspaper in Germany ahead of the start of Euro 2024. The Italian defender retraced the success of 2021, when Italy managed to triumph in the Wembley final against Southgate's England. Chiellini also spoke about Gianluca Vialli and the special Italian group from the last edition of the competition, before focusing on coach Spalletti's group.
On Italy and the successes of 2006 and 2020: “That final in Berlin was fantastic, but the best memory for me is the evening at Wembley three years ago, on the pitch. In that tournament we also had a bit of luck, but from start to finish no team was as consistent as ours.”
On the European Championship won at Wembley and the group created by Mancini: “He had created the group, making it special in difficult circumstances. That European Championship represented the culmination of a three-year journey, which began with a great disappointment: the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. He had the courage to believe in us players and to integrate new players throughout his mandate, but especially during that tournament. I think of Federico Chiesa, who was on the bench at the start, and then of me: I missed two games due to injury, against Wales and against Austria. We liked to keep the ball. Verratti, Jorginho, Insigne, Barella: they were all technical and quality players. We also knew how to defend, when it was necessary, and we were able to beat an opponent like Spain in the semi-finals, who were better with the ball than us. But that was a big exception. The Spaniards had 70% of ball possession and their Dani Olmo was almost unstoppable. He felt like he couldn't touch the ball anymore. Maybe Jorginho and Verratti suffered from it, but I instead wallowed in it, like a fish in water. Ultimately, football is about scoring goals. You can't win with ball possession.”
On Vialli: “Gianluca was incredibly important to all of us. He left an indelible memory in our lives. Not only did he complement Mancini wonderfully. He was also a fantastic speaker. He entered our hearts with every word of his speeches.”
On failing to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar: “We were still intoxicated with happiness for the European Championship, when we drew at home with Bulgaria in the first qualifying match. Then we realized that playing with the enthusiasm of victory and chasing a dream is completely different from having to endure the pressure of avoiding a sporting “tragedy”. We were unable to manage this situation: the two missed penalties in the two crucial matches against Switzerland demonstrate this. Furthermore, compared to the European Championship, some of us were not in shape, we have to be honest.”
On coach Spalletti: “The important thing is that, after the trauma, Italy was lucky to find Luciano Spalletti free, who had just reached his peak with Napoli's scudetto. His appointment was a well-deserved recognition, but also the solution to the problems of the national team”.
On the situation of Tonali and Fagioli: “I feel sorry for the two of them: being faced with such a big problem at their age is not easy. They are good guys, who made mistakes, there are limits that cannot be overcome. It's also okay to pay for mistakes and learn lessons. We must not forget: we are talking about a social problem.”
On injuries before the European Championship: “These injuries, so soon after the start of the tournament, weigh heavily, also because in Acerbi's case they broke the Inter block, made up of players who know each other inside out. Buongiorno has done a good job and Gianluca Mancini has gained international experience with Roma. Spalletti has already done some experiments and will find the ideal set-up.”
About the group: “We have several young players with a lot of experience: Donnarumma, Bastoni and Barella. And Jorginho can be the lighthouse of this group, a kind of dad. Up front we have guys like Chiesa and Scamacca, who can score at any time. I hope for a sparkling team. He is at the right age for carefreeness and at the same time he is not yet at the age to think too much.”
On the blue talent: “I think the whole world envies us for the players I mentioned. I don't think three years ago we were more talented. Maybe we had more experience thanks to players like Bonucci or Verratti. But players like Chiesa and Barella have also acquired it in the meantime, like Bastoni and Donnarumma have an even higher international level. And the younger ones have experience too.”
On the favorite national teams ahead of Euro 2024: “Especially France and England, but also Portugal: they are my three favourites. The others are just behind them: Germany is playing at home and Spain is perhaps no longer in the golden age of ten or fifteen years ago, but it is still strong.”
On the central pin of the attachment: “Don't we have a relentless number 9? It was said three years ago, even if we had Immobile. Let's see how Gianluca Scamacca, who won the Europa League with Atalanta Bergamo, behaves. We shouldn't burden him with too many responsibilities, but he had three or four very good months. And Chiesa and Retegui are still here. However, we are not the only team with this theoretical uncertainty.”
On farewell to football: “If it were up to me, I would have played until I was 50 or 60. But when I started to feel that I was no longer physically capable of doing it, I decided to leave Juventus and go to America. I could have continued, but I have so many projects in mind that the time has come to leave.”
