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Guglielmo Vicario & Manuel Locatelli OUT, Nicolo Rovella IN: Italy Squad For 2025 (Ep. 473)
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After Italy finished 2nd in the UEFA Nations League group following a defeat to France at the San Siro, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese discuss, debate and analyze which players Luciano Spalletti should axe, keep and call up as the Azzurri gear up for the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
This is an extended clip from this week's free Monday episode of The Italian Football Podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google podcasts.
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Transcript
Italy's World Cup Qualifiers Format
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. What that means is it means that Italy will now be ah in a four team group for the World Cup qualifiers that start in September 2025 and end in November 2025. So the World Cup qualifield qualification cafe is very, very short. It lasts just over two months.
00:00:23
Speaker
and Italy will only play six games. It's a ridiculous ridiculous format. FIFA and UEFA have completely bodged this up.
Challenges of Not Topping the Group
00:00:31
Speaker
um yeah Only the top team qualifies, otherwise Italy will have to go to a play-off if they come second, which is a ah which is again a ridiculous format. It's a one-legged semi-final and then a one-legged final.
00:00:45
Speaker
which you might be playing away from home in. So there's not much room for error due to this you know this ridiculous qualification format that the idiots at FIFA have come
Advantages of Being Seeded
00:00:57
Speaker
up with. So Italy have to be careful. um The positives are that Italy will be seeded for the World Cup qualification draw, which I believe is next month.
00:01:05
Speaker
um So they will be seeded and there are more seeds now as a result of this expanded format. So there are they're going to be 12, I think 12 groups, 12 seeds, which means that um the groups are going to be weaker, but there's likely to be one of the one of the four teams is likely to be someone that could be dangerous. And because you're only playing six games,
00:01:29
Speaker
there isn't room for error.
Strategy for Short Qualification Format
00:01:31
Speaker
You lose one of those games to this to this other dangerous team. And all of a sudden, there's a really, really big risk that you're going to come second and you're going to have to go to a playoff, which one-legged semifinal could be away from home. One-legged final could be away from home. It's a ridiculous format. So again, going on from kind of like the reality check, you know we have to we have to say,
00:01:51
Speaker
we have to be careful. We have to be on our game straight away in September when usually our players are our you know not not fully matched fit because everybody's having fed a cost on there and the season's starting late. and so you know I don't want to be all
Italy's Approach to International Competitions
00:02:07
Speaker
doom and gloom here. I'm just saying, just warning everyone, we have to be a little bit careful never.
00:02:12
Speaker
No, absolutely have to be careful and and I'm glad that they have to be careful. i like Italy should never underestimate that. When when Italians get arrogant and and but that's when things don't go well. this This was a good defeat. Again, I don't really care about the Nations League and I'm actually quite happy and I hope Italy are drawn with Spain and get knocked out because I think it's a stupid tournament and a waste of time and I don't want more games.
00:02:38
Speaker
I don't care about the Nations League. um I care about the World Cup. We play friendlies instead, where the semi-finals and finals are. give but What final Nations League? Mickey Mouse Cup? like what what are we What are we even doing here?
00:02:50
Speaker
Oh, congratulations. What a what a trophy. like The Nations League is bullshit. I'm sorry. um And and i'm I'm just glad what i what I see it as, the group stages of this against Belgium and France, the early games. A couple of was to see where Italy are and I think they're in a good place. As for the knockout stages of the UEFA Mickey Mouse Cup, I do not care, especially given the workload that these players have.
00:03:14
Speaker
So I hope they get faced against Spain and I hope they get knocked out so that they can rest because these players are already overplayed. um So I don't really care about that.
Addressing Team Issues for 2026 World Cup
00:03:25
Speaker
I care about the, like you said, the warnings, there should be a warning sign sent and I think Spalletti is wise enough to understand that and I think he will start working towards that um and and understanding that the the big target is the World Cup 2026. Italy have to qualify without drama.
00:03:43
Speaker
and Italy have to go far in the World Cup step by step. The problems that we've seen are there. Now it's time to to to address and adjust um that move with ah with an eye towards the World Cup in 2026, where we'll have to wait and you know where where we have to see which players should come in and which players should come out.
00:04:04
Speaker
ah Let's discuss that
Goalkeeper Selection Debate
00:04:05
Speaker
then. let's discuss it then so Based on what we've learned from this from this whole UA for Nations League campaign, let's have a look at kind of who we should build our 2025 around, shall we? and Let's start off with the with with the goalkeepers. so If we kind of if we kind of divide it between who the core should be, let's say, who who should be there or you know should be in the and the talking point, but also let's put our foot down and say, right, these players, we want them out. We don't want them to be to be near the set up. So I would say in terms of the players
00:04:39
Speaker
I want to be to be there or thereabouts from the goalkeepers. I think that Donnarum are obviously undisputed number one. Then I would say de Gregorio Kaneseki I would have as my as as my other two in the th three. and Perin I would even have above.
00:04:58
Speaker
vicario or meritat I don't want Vicario ever to be to play for Italy again, unless he can somehow prove that he's okay on corners anymore because we can't have Vicario playing in a game and and and costing us a goal of a corner in a big World Cup qualifier or a big match. We just can't. We cannot take the risk of him being in a game ah because anybody can score corners. So we can't have we can't have Vicario there. And Meretz, I think, is below the others. so i would I would want Dona Ruma, Di Grigorio, Cana Secchi, even Perina would have above those two. No, nothing to add to that. I agree 100%. Di Grigorio has to be the second choice goalkeeper. That's just how I see it. I think he's the the age he is, where he is in his career, how well he's done for Juve. Yes, Di Grigorio, without a doubt, is should be the number two behind Dona Ruma. And I'd rather have Cana Secchi as the third one above Merit and Vicario for sure. Okay. Nothing to add.
00:05:52
Speaker
Let's do centre backs now.
Core Defense Line-Up
00:05:54
Speaker
We'll come to wing backs separately. So centre backs, like I said before, I think we've got a really good ah core of centre backs. So I would say that Di Lorenzo, Calafiori, Bastoni, Buongiorno,
00:06:07
Speaker
and s Scalvini, fingers crossed. I mean, I've seen that he's back already and he could play so this weekend. He's recovered from an ACL in five months. um want I don't want to give any negative energy and and say what what I know you're thinking as well. and that's that that's But me, that's too soon. But let's hope they know what they're doing. um And let's just pray that he he comes back and as well. um I think those are the core, though, that we build around.
00:06:34
Speaker
and And then, you know, let's see, Gatti, Gabbia, Komudso who didn't play, let's see how he comes on. Even a Cherby, I would consider, if we're desperate and we need to get a result to qualify and we've got a player out on two, I have no problem in playing a Cherby, say in September or so, if he's still at the level he's at now, and we need just to get a result to qualify.
00:06:54
Speaker
and then just to get over long. We need to qualify. We haven't qualified for 12 years. We need to qualify. If it means the chair becomes in for one game, I'm fine with that because he's still at the level. So that's what I'd have as my core.
00:07:07
Speaker
in terms of players out, I mean maybe Mancini? No, we need a right footed right center back in to to back up to De Laurent. Well, Scalvini. Yeah, I'm not entirely convinced after the... I wasn't convinced of him before um and I'm not too convinced now and I think we should give him this entire season to prepare. I don't like that he's coming back after five months only. I think this is um the alarm bells are really going off there.
00:07:34
Speaker
um but I mean, as I said, loeno calaiori bastoni bonjonos calvini if fit and continues to progress well, fine. Those are the five. The sixth one, Acherbi in a pickle, absolutely. But I definitely have have have Mancini involved because I think Mancini you know is is ah is ah is a mean SOB and you need a mean SOB in the defence. You No, I'm thinking of Godfather now. yeah and you Exactly. You need you need to you need a douchebag in a defence. I'm sorry, but you do. You can't just have... Acherbi is a mean SOB too. easy He gets under people's skin. He's a great man marker. Mancini's matured a lot, I think, under Mourinho and de Rossi. um So I definitely have him there. But I mean, it depends. I mean, if Komuzo and Gabbia continue to play really well, then why not? yeah But we're talking like 5th, 6th here. The starting lineup, the first four are so like the Lorenzo Calafieri, Bastoni, Bongiorno, as long as they stay healthy and continue to play well.
00:08:46
Speaker
the the those it's It's three out of those four. yeah for sure for sure yeah mancini okay you do okay mancini ain't no band leader right wing backs wing back there's no Luca Brasi in that case yeah he's the guy sitting there talking to himself saying may your first born be a masculine one um yeah well stuttering right wing backs listen i think campiasso di marco or dodgy i think that that's an absolute guarantee i think our only question mark is really who's the
00:09:18
Speaker
Who's the the fourth? Who's the backup right wing back to Cambia? So that's the only real question at this
Building the Midfield
00:09:25
Speaker
point. Yeah. I mean, it's Bella Nova, the Savona who was in this squad didn't get a chance of Jerry, but he's obviously on the left. I think that's really what we're looking at really right now. um g Agreed. da yeah Those three are just they there'sly again, those three are just just like the Cinevacs. You've got two positions and three players who are when fit and inform those are who you take.
00:09:47
Speaker
Yeah. Dami-Ann, I would say definitely out. We need to move on move on from him now. He's going to be 35, so he's out. and I mean, he hasn't played since the Euros either. Central midfielders now, I would say our call should be built around for certain Richie Tonali, Barella, Fratuzzi,
00:10:08
Speaker
at the moment, you know, Ravella, but I wouldn't say he's a guarantee right now. So as I say, Richie Tonali, Beretta, Fratazzi are the guarantees. Then we're looking at the likes of Ravella, you know, Pizzilli, Fagioli, maybe, you're probably going to say it out for him, Breccinini, Breccinini, maybe, let's see.
00:10:27
Speaker
Yeah, Breccianini is an interesting one. um If you're going to play that 3-5-1-1, I'd actually do it in mind playing Breccianini. I forgot about him when we were speaking about it, to be honest. Yeah, Breccianini in the 3-5-1-1, but then I want Locatelli in the score as well. Like Ricci Rovella, Tonali, Barrella, Fratizzi, Locatelli, those are the like five, sorry, those are the six. And then I'll have Breccianini as in the number 10. I do not want to see Christante, Giorginio, Fagioli, Pisilli, Let's Wait,
00:10:56
Speaker
Pellegrini has to improve vastly for a ro Roma, which we're going to talk about is in complete turmoil. Christante, God, now, in Giorginio, like, can we move on, please? Yeah, like it's just um absolutely. 100% out Christante in Giorginio, 95% out Pellegrini for me. And then Locatelli, I'm kind of, yeah, i'm on the I'm on the fence. I don't want to completely write him off, but but I think he's behind the other options but right right now in in that Regista role and whether or not I don't think he's seen as as somebody that can play as a mezzarella by Leti, but
Challenges in Selecting Forwards
00:11:37
Speaker
we'll see. As for forwards, this is really difficult, I mean for me there's only one
00:11:45
Speaker
one guarantee in the squad right now, and that's retigue. And that's after two really bad games as well. And then again, I mean, you've got respadore, you've got keen, you've got Maldini, then you've got like Zanyol and Kiesa of course, but it depends on whether they can get their bodies in shape, which is a big if.
00:12:04
Speaker
and but and probably the answer is no to that. And then you've got, you know, Nianto Colliosho in the championship, Young coming through, then you've got Lorenzo Luca, you've got Skamaka if you can come back from the ACL. I mean, these are all kind of ifs and maybes and and I think the bottom line is, I mean, there's Baldansi as well, maybe you could throw in there, but I mean,
00:12:28
Speaker
the bottom line is that we need we need someone to develop really big time and we need raspadori to play more we need keen to continue his great form um and we need luka to continue i think luka should be in the squad based on how well he's performed and i think he offers something that when retegi is tired or having an off day i think he offers something as ah as a good you know as a decent replacement for retegi so i definitely have luka right now Luca Retegi, Raspadori, and then one of Keen and Maldini, I guess. Skamaka, like Skalvini, we have to wait and see. I mean, he's training again, Skamaka, which is good. But, you know, given the the nature of the injury that kept him out, we have to be a little bit careful.
00:13:20
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I agree. the The only the only players I would say out are, I mean, Berardi, Polisano, because um just as not just because of their age, they're in their 30s now, but but because of their position, you know, that wingers just are not going to work in a three, five, one, one. That's the same reason we don't have Zakhani, even though he's playing well for Latvia. Yeah, even and and playing well for Latvia and was actually one of the few players that played well in the Euros as well. Yeah, there's no point. If you're going to play the system, you're going to have to sacrifice wingers. And baraldi polyanno's account which could do it for Kolyosha as well, who's who's actually been linked to some big clubs, by the way, that's all by Munich apparently looking at him as well. I mean, that's probably partly due to the, the convincing company factor. But yeah, it's, it's, so yeah.
00:14:07
Speaker
um Okay, well, that's Italy. um we That's it. That's Italy for the 2024. That's all their games over. and But so there will be you know the the Nations League draw this month. I think it's late this week. And there will be the World Cup qualifying draw next month, which we will definitely ah re react to. So there's still that to to look forward to.