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Italy are at risk of missing out on a third consecutive World Cup after a troubled start to their qualifying campaign.
Italy football coach Gennaro Gattuso. (Picture Credit: AP)
Gennaro Gattuso expressed his confidence on Thursday that Italy can qualify for the World Cup as he begins his tenure as the Azzurri coach following the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti.
Italy risks missing out on a third consecutive World Cup after a poor start to their qualifying campaign, leaving them nine points behind Group I leaders Norway and costing Spalletti his job.
When asked if he had more hope or conviction that Italy could reach next year’s finals in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, Gattuso said: “conviction.”
“I believe we have good players available to us. We have four or five who are among the top 10 in the world in their position,” Gattuso added.
“We have a good team, and by team, I mean a collective unit, not just individuals. I’m convinced that the team has quality and that we can achieve our goal.”
Gattuso faces a tough task, with only the group winner earning automatic qualification for the World Cup, despite Italy having played two fewer games than Norway.
In addition to the significant points gap, Italy has a goal difference that is 12 goals worse than Norway, who defeated Italy 3-0 earlier in June.
This leaves Italy with the play-offs, from which they failed to reach the last two tournaments, as their only realistic shot at qualification.
“We need to bring back the enthusiasm and not think negatively. My goal is to ensure that the players who come to Coverciano, Italy’s training centre, do so with great enthusiasm and to create a family,” said Gattuso.
“After formations, technique, and tactics, the priority is to recreate that mentality which in the past has made us stand out.”
Gattuso, a World Cup winner in 2006, was not the Italian Football Federation’s first choice to replace Spalletti.
Claudio Ranieri ultimately declined an appeal to come out of retirement, for a second time, to save his country’s footballing fortunes.
However, Italy icon Gianluigi Buffon, now head of the national team delegation, said he believes Gattuso is capable of proving his doubters wrong after an inconsistent coaching career.
Gattuso, 47, was recently sacked by Hadjuk Split but has also managed AC Milan and Napoli, winning the Italian Cup with the latter club five years ago.
“I had a long playing career, and every time I faced one of Rino’s teams with Juventus, they gave us a hard time. You had the sense that his teams had a clear identity and that there was a lot of work and thought behind them,” said Buffon.
“It’s very simple, when you’re on the pitch, you can tell straight away if there is a good coach behind the other team. Every time I faced his Milan or Napoli teams, I could tell that was the case.”
Gattuso will be in the dugout for the first time in September when Italy hosts Estonia in Bergamo before travelling to Hungary to take on Israel.
(With inputs from AFP)
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A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you live updates, breaking news, opinions and photos from the wide world of sport. Follow @News18Sports
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