Departing Italy coach downbeat despite 2-0 win over Moldova
Norway defeat Estonia 1-0; Croatia thrash Czech Republic
Luciano Spalletti took charge of Italy one last time on Monday, and while his side sent him off with a win, the sacked manager accepted that he is not leaving the team in a good place for his replacement.
Spalletti paid the price for a 3-0 drubbing in Norway on Friday as Italy’s World Cup qualifying campaign in Europe’s Group I was compromised in their opening game, and an uninspired 2-0 home win over Moldova was not how he wished to bow out. Italy broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time through Giacomo Raspadori’s strike from the edge of the penalty area, with Andrea Cambiaso adding another soon after the restart.
“I’m disappointed with the result,” Spalletti said. “I don’t give back to those who come after me a great national team, because we didn’t play a great match tonight either. I was given the opportunity to work, I tried, I made mistakes and I even tried some experiments. I try to learn everything in whatever I approach; I’m not convinced I’m the smartest one. I haven’t been able to get the best out of these players and I have to take note of that.”
