During the `Bordocampo – II Tempo` program on Radio Capri, journalist Alessandro Vocalelli shared his views. He honestly stated that the Italian national team`s results have not met expectations. He acknowledged a poor performance at the European Championship with the exit against Switzerland, but sees signs of improvement now. However, he emphasizes the need for further growth, as Italy possesses good individual players but needs to achieve more, citing the first half against Germany as unacceptable.
Vocalelli questions what is missing and suggests the primary gap is a world-class player. While Italy has high average quality, most top national teams boast those exceptional talents that Italy currently lacks, with Donnarumma being the sole exception. He also believes Italy needs to overcome the ghosts of past failures that have hindered progress in competitions. He hopes that Luciano Spalletti, a great coach, will bring added value.
Regarding Napoli players in the national team, Vocalelli expressed admiration for Raspadori, mentioning that Sarri considered him an ideal striker. He believes Raspadori hasn`t had sufficient opportunities to express his potential, facing competition from Osimhen and then Lukaku under coaches like Spalletti and Conte, who prefer wing-focused play. Despite being somewhat sacrificed, Vocalelli sees Raspadori as a significant asset for both the national team and Napoli. He praised Buongiorno as a reliable and top Italian defender, and Politano as one of the best performers in the Germany matches. He thinks Di Lorenzo performs best as a full-back in a four-man defense rather than in a three-man backline.
On the Scudetto race, Vocalelli believes it`s now a two-horse race between Inter and Napoli. He considers Atalanta out of contention after their direct clash with Inter. While Inter has a superior and deeper squad, Napoli, under a top coach like Conte, has shown strength and benefits from a more favorable schedule. He predicts a closely contested championship that might not be decided until the final 2-3 match days.