Demetrio Albertini, drawing on his extensive experience in football – which includes spells with Milan, Atletico Madrid, Lazio, and Barcelona, as well as holding senior roles within the FIGC – is urging the Italian national team to show courage amidst its current difficulties. He believes that despite the challenges, Italy possesses the necessary resources to qualify for the World Cup and should not be paralyzed by the fear of failure, especially after missing the last two tournaments. Albertini noted that he observed Luciano Spalletti appearing emotional and affected upon hearing the news of his dismissal during their conversation.
Albertini pointed out that the team has historically faced difficulties during these periods of the year, as well as in September. However, he stressed that defeats are temporary setbacks and not a reason for despair. His primary concern is that the players overcome the fear of not reaching their objective. He highlighted the importance of the group over individual players, stating that courage is paramount right now. Albertini recalled a similar tough experience in his career: the heavy 6-0 defeat suffered by the Italy U21 team (where he was a key player) against Norway in 1991. While he remembers it as the worst loss to manage, he emphasized that the context was different back then; it was an U21 side, Italian Serie A clubs were dominant internationally, and the players were on a clear development path to reach the highest levels.
According to Albertini, this focus on development is the crucial point missing today. He contends that the core business of football must return to being “the football itself,” just as a car manufacturer`s core business is making cars. Unlike 1991, when a clear pathway existed for players to grow and reach the top (many succeeding even after starting in Serie B), the overall football “movement” (not just the national team) lacks this structure now. Albertini states that Italy doesn`t necessarily lack *good* players but lacks *enough* of them, making it hard to replace injured players compared to other nations that have both talent and structured youth development pipelines. He argues that Italy needs to forge a different path, as the national team is merely a reflection of the entire system.
Albertini believes a club`s true value lies not just in its financial balance sheet but in creating *sporting* value and developing players, something he feels is not a priority for many today. While Italy lags behind in areas like stadiums, marketing, and finances, the sporting project must be the fundamental starting point for rebuilding. He noted that he advocated for reserve teams back in 2010, and they are only now beginning to slowly emerge – a 15-year delay. He concluded with the metaphor: “Players are poetry, directors are prose. Without the poetry, the prose cannot exist.”