'Worst Italy team in a lifetime' as holders limp out

The defending champions are retired of Euro 2024 and to opportunity Italy exited pinch a whimper would beryllium being kind.

Comfortably beaten 2-0 by Switzerland astatine Berlin's Olympiastadion, Luciano Spalletti's broadside grounded to moreover put up nan precocious conflict that astatine slightest characterised nan comeback tie against Croatia successful their last group game.

"I don't deliberation I've witnessed, successful my lifetime, a worse Italian squad than this," said erstwhile England striker Gary Lineker connected BBC One.

In 2006, Italy won their 4th World Cup astatine this venue, beating France connected penalties.

Three years ago, nan Azzurri went to Wembley and crushed English dreams successful different shootout to declare a 3rd European Championship title.

There are talented players successful this squad but, surely from nan showing against Switzerland, a deficiency of characteristic - not nan trade of Andrea Pirlo, nan guile of Marco Materazzi aliases nan grizzly nous of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.

Of those who started successful nan conclusion of England successful 2021, only goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, defender Giovanni di Lorenzo, midfielder Nicolo Barella and guardant Federico Chiesa made Spalletti's starting XI for nan limp exit successful Berlin.

"From 3 years agone to this, it's incredible," added ex-England skipper Alan Shearer.

"I was really shocked astatine really bad Italy were. They offered thing successful immoderate position, Switzerland toyed pinch them.

"They dominated that crippled and didn't springiness Italy a chance. Up apical they were truthful weak, they offered thing successful beforehand of goal. There was nary threat. They were truthful poor, peculiarly successful guardant positions."

Spalletti worked his magic astatine Napoli past play to win nan club's first Scudetto since nan Diego Maradona-inspired triumph of 1990.

He was expected to beryllium connected a sabbatical, spending clip connected his workplace successful Tuscany, but trim it short to return nan reins of nan nationalist squad erstwhile Roberto Mancini resigned successful August past year.

There were Italian fans sporting Maradona jerseys successful nan stands successful Berlin and location was Spalletti connected nan bench, but location was nary of nan high-intensity, attacking shot that made his Napoli broadside truthful enjoyable to watch past season.

"The squad were timid successful position of nan strength of nan game," he said. "We didn’t do a bully job, we weren’t capable to support a precocious level of intensity.

"When you are not capable to triumph nan shot back, fixed we don’t person gait astatine nan back, you person to spend them space."

Spalletti only had 10 games earlier nan tourney to whip a broadside that grounded to suffice for nan World Cup successful Qatar into shape, only reaching this tourney arsenic runners-up to England successful qualifying.

But 4 games into Euro 2024, and pinch conscionable a triumph against Albania and a precocious tie pinch Croatia to show for it, Spalletti and Italy's tourney is over.

"They've been shambolic, almost," said BBC pundit Rio Ferdinand. "It's for illustration they've not sewage 1 reply aliases solution for immoderate script that's travel up successful this crippled today.

"Questions are going to beryllium asked of Spalletti, I'm sure."

And they were. Immediately aft nan defeat, nan 65-year-old was quizzed astir whether he believed he could enactment connected arsenic nationalist squad boss.

"That mobility is only natural, don’t consciousness blameworthy astir asking me," he said. "But that comes to nan crux of nan matter, it doesn’t alteration thing for me.

"I person nan work for what has happened. I picked nan players, and of people this is portion of a process wherever I request to get to cognize players."

Spalletti bemoaned nan deficiency of clip he had spent pinch his squad, compared to different coaches astatine nan tournament, injuries to definite players and moreover nan truth Inter Milan won nan title successful April.

"Inter won Serie A and past I made judge they are a very professional, superior nine because Simone Inzaghi kept training nan squad successful a definite way," he explained.

"I was successful touch pinch really often Inter were training, but possibly you are subconsciously not arsenic applied erstwhile you person won nan convention truthful early."

After suggesting his pushed his players excessively difficult successful training earlier nan tie against Croatia, this clip he said he had fto them remainder and made six changes to his line-up.

"What happened coming didn’t travel down to 1 azygous cause," he added. '"But if that is nan tempo, if you don’t do thing much successful position of tempo and intensity, it becomes a batch harder to compete, and we were nether par."

Five months into his tenure successful Naples, unhappy pinch nan occupation he was doing, Napoli ultras stole his beloved Fiat Panda and said they would only return it if he near nan club.

After this defeat, 1 Swiss journalist took nan opportunity to quip whether Switzerland were now nan Ferrari and Italy a Fiat Panda.

"You person to judge everything," said Spalletti. "Even alternatively tasteless allusions for illustration yours – you are intelligibly a awesome exponent of sarcasm, and you are right, what much tin you say?

"You did a amended occupation than us, you were worthy winners, and we will effort and do a amended occupation adjacent time."

The Napoli ultras yet talented Spalletti his steering instrumentality backmost erstwhile he guided them to a first title successful 33 years, and nan seasoned does not fearfulness mobility marks complete over his nationalist squad early this clip either.

"When you want to scare me, opportunity 'now what, now what'." he added. "I person travel nether unit from time 1 since I decided to go a coach, to make it this far. I americium very relaxed successful trying to compete astatine this level."