Spalletti causes controversy by dropping 3 superstars and calling up a player banned for 7 months to the Euro squad
2 min read
Recently, Italy announced the preliminary squad of 30 players for Euro 2024. Manager Spalletti has stirred controversy by decisively excluding three superstars while summoning a player whom many did not predict.
In the provisional squad of the Italian national team for the UEFA European Championship (Euro) 2024, the absence of some famous players has caught attention. Specifically, forward Ciro Immobile, midfielder Manuel Locatelli, and midfielder Marco Verratti are all missing from the list.
Only 10 players who helped Italy win Euro 2020 (the tournament postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic) have been summoned by Coach Spalletti in the provisional squad of 30 players. After the friendlies against Turkey and Bosnia & Herzegovina in early June, this list will be reduced to 26 players.
Forward Ciro Immobile was previously included in an Italy squad under Coach Spalletti in September last year but has been excluded after scoring only 7 goals in Serie A this season.
Midfielder Marco Verratti, who played a crucial role in Italy’s victory against England in the Euro 2020 final, is also absent. His absence may be due to his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Qatari club Al-Arabi.
It is known that Verratti declined the call-up to the Italy national team for the first two matches of the Euro 2024 qualifiers under Spalletti last September to complete his transfer to Qatar.
The most surprising omission is perhaps Locatelli, as the Juventus midfielder played 4 out of 8 matches under Spalletti, including 3 starts. It was anticipated that Spalletti would call up Locatelli’s teammate Nicolo Fagioli, who has recently returned to play after a 7-month ban from gambling violations, but no one expected this 23-year-old player to completely replace Locatelli.
Young midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, 23, returned to play 19 minutes for Juventus in the 3-3 draw with Bologna last Tuesday and received a yellow card in the final minute of regulation time. He had previously been banned from playing for 7 months for violating Italy’s gambling regulations. This season, Fagioli has played 6 matches for Juventus before the ban. Notably, he made his debut for the Italy national team against Albania in November last year.
Manager Roberto Spalletti’s decision to call up Nicolo Fagioli to the national team has sparked much debate on social media in recent hours. While excluding prominent names like forward Ciro Immobile, midfielder Manuel Locatelli, Marco Verratti, the Italian coach has placed his trust in Fagioli, despite his young age and limited international experience.
