Gattuso Begins Italy Rescue Mission

BERGAMO, THURSDAY – The match against Estonia at Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo, Italy, on Saturday (6/9/2025) at 01:45 WIB, will be tense for Gennaro Gattuso. The new coach of Italy will embark on a mission to save Italy from failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time. Gattuso is somewhat nervous as coaching Italy is his first experience at the international level.

"I am tense like a spring. I have been doing this since day one. I also feel the weight of responsibility because I am the one wearing this jersey," said Gattuso during his first press conference as the coach of Italy, Monday (1/9/2025).

The former AC Milan midfielder was appointed as the coach of Italy last June. He replaced Luciano Spalletti, who was dismissed after a 0-3 defeat to Norway. This loss left the "Azzurri" somewhat traumatized by their failure to qualify for the World Cup in both the 2018 and 2022 editions. In order to prevent a similar disaster from occurring, Gattuso was entrusted with taking over the team, despite Spalletti's ability to secure a victory against Moldova in the subsequent match.

Gattuso's appointment is somewhat surprising considering he does not have a strong track record from his time managing several clubs. His highest achievement as a coach was leading Napoli to win the Coppa Italia in 2020. Aside from that, Gattuso's performance was not particularly impressive while managing Milan, Valencia, and Marseille.

With more than 10 years of experience as a coach, Gattuso has minimal experience at the international level. He has never been entrusted to lead the national team. Therefore, the ticket to the 2026 World Cup becomes the only way for Gattuso to prove that the public's doubts about his ability to manage the national team are misguided.

Defeating Estonia is the primary objective of Gattuso's rescue mission for Italy. Italy is significantly favored as it ranks 11th in the world, while Estonia is far behind at 126th place.

The significant gap between the two teams seemingly did not allow Gattuso to feel at ease. He still felt nervous due to the immense public pressure on the "Azzurri" amid the risk of missing the World Cup for the third consecutive time. Moreover, Italy is currently in third place in Group I, below Norway and Israel.

First and foremost, you have to make them (the players) feel comfortable together. - Gennaro Gattuso -

Only the group winners automatically qualify for the main World Cup. The runners-up must compete in the next qualifying round. The defeat to Norway severely hampers Italy's chances of automatic qualification, despite having two matches in hand. Finishing as runners-up is Gattuso's most realistic target at this point.

"Estonia is likely to play with counterattacks. However, when they have possession of the ball, they will play it. Therefore, we must be smart in forcing them to make mistakes because they are also skilled at building attacks from the back," said Gattuso.

Gattuso was greatly influenced by Marcelo Lippi's recipe for success when he led Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup. The former member of the Italian squad experienced how Lippi was able to form a strong team. Lippi's first step was to build cohesion among the players.

This is what prompted Gattuso to gather all the players several weeks before the match at the national team's training center in Coverciano, Florence. Injured players are prohibited from returning to their clubs. They are asked to remain at the training camp.

"First and foremost, you must make them (the players) feel comfortable together. You do not need to burden them with too many words or only talk about tactics and football. The key lies in finding the right balance," he said.

Gathering players well in advance like this is not a common practice for Spalletti. In addition to requiring players to assemble in Coverciano, the differences in methodology between Gattuso and Spalletti are also evident in the defensive systems they adopt.

Spalletti tends to prefer a three-defender system, while Gattuso often employs a four-defender setup. In a three-defender system, a team will defend with five defenders when under attack. This is perceived to be less suitable for Gattuso, who implements a pressing game with a high defensive line.

"With a formation of five defenders, you have to maintain tight marking and play aggressively, or you have to drop too deep and allow the opponent to have freedom all the time. This makes it difficult to press, especially since with the goalkeeper, you are almost always outnumbered. You risk getting stuck in a very low block, which is something I do not like. I have tried it before, but it does not suit me," said Gattuso.

So far, Gattuso has favored the 4-2-3-1 formation. Consequently, the positions of the four defenders are likely to be filled by Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Ricardo Calafiori, Allesandro Bastoni, and Federico Dimarco. Meanwhile, the anchor midfielder positions could be occupied by Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Barella.

Then, three players behind the striker are likely to be Matteo Politano on the right wing, Giacomo Raspadori as the attacking midfielder, and Mattia Zaccagni on the left wing.

The position of the striker may put Gattuso in a dilemma. Italy now has four strikers who can be played simultaneously, namely Moise Keane, Mateo Retegui, Pio Esposito, and Gianluca Scamacca. However, recent developments indicate that Scamacca is still suffering from a minor injury and may not be fielded.