Zoff: Italy lack ‘strong players’, Gattuso must bring one thing

Italy legend Dino Zoff admits the Azzurri lack ‘strong players’ while Gennaro Gattuso must provide ‘balance’ to the team: ‘In Norway, we wanted to play like Barcelona…’

Italy 1982 World Cup winner Zoff analysed the state of Italian football in an interview with Corriere dello Sport.

Zoff: Italy don’t have many strong players

“The truth is that we need strong players, and we don’t have many. The league doesn’t help the national team coaches since Serie A has more and more foreign footballers,” Zoff said via TMW.

“Talents aren’t just built. They are born this way. For several reasons, that no longer happens,” said the ex-goalkeeper.

“Young people today have a wider range of sports to choose from, parents are often overbearing, football academies prioritise tactics over technical skills, and kids no longer play in the streets. Plus, we’re having fewer children. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, my region, Friuli Venezia Giulia, used to produce 12 Serie A players; now, it may produce only two or three.”

Zoff: Italy wanted to play like Barcelona

Gattuso has recently been appointed to replace Luciano Spalletti. What’s the first thing Ringhio must bring to the team?

“Balance. We went to Norway trying to play like Barcelona, but they played like Italy; three counter-attacks, three goals,” Zoff noted.

“The crucial thing is to rediscover some ambition.”