The defending champions are on the verge of a shocking, group-stage exit, as they must at least clinch a draw against Croatia on Monday night to stay afloat.If you ask the legendary tactician Fabio Capello, Italy could hardly have had a more serious rival in the last round than the FIFA World Cup bronze medalists. The former AC Milan and England coach believes that it is very difficult to play against Croatia when it comes to the decisive game, even more so because the Croats are also with their backs to the wall.”We are one point away from reaching the 1/8 finals, and the match against Croatia is our chance for revenge. We have to react,” Capello wrote in an author’s column for the Gazzetta dello Sport.The best scorer of EURO 2024? So far, Mr Own GoalItaly coach Luciano Spalletti said after a 1-0 defeat to Spain that his players were probably too tired from the maiden meeting with Albania.”And that’s right, Italy seemed exhausted because the opponent was great in everything. The Spaniards didn’t make a single mistake in controlling the ball; everything went like oiled, extremely fast, and every player did their role well. The Azzurri got an important lesson. For me, Spain are the top contender to win the trophy”.The man who won two La Liga titles with Real Madrid was surprised by the quality of the Spanish national team.”Honestly, they quite surprised me. I knew they had quality, they showed it against Croatia, but against Italy, they were even faster. The technical gap is extremely large because we no longer have such quality. In our youth ranks, tactics are taught, not technique, and that leads to long-term problems. I was a coach in Madrid, and I know very well how they play football in Spain. The best part of training is the technical details. Not because they can relax, but to work on those things even more.”##EDITORS_CHOICE##Despite winning the Euros three years ago, Italy has long been in deep decline.”Many look at Pep Guardiola as a role model in Italy, but that was Guardiola from ten years ago. Pep has evolved since. Our confusion has led us to the limits we are in today. Our footballers never take responsibility when playing with the ball or dribbling past rivals. Blinded, we’re talking about playing good football with useless possession. Look how Spain plays football – Nico Williams is a 21-year-old boy, and he’s always looking for a one-on-one game.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8173426##Luka Modric said recently that Croatia won’t be affraid when facing Italy in a do-or-die clash on Monday.”The biggest threat for us is the Croatian midfield. Modric, Brozovic and Kovacic. They are not as fast as the Spaniards, but they are equally technically trained. That is why I would like to see our team that has learned from the mistakes of the match against Spain. A united and focused group. Although the draw also plays a role for us, I want to see Italy ready to fight, to go for victory and show why they are champions,” concluded Capello.EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – GROUP STAGESaturday16.00: (4.40) Georgia (3.50) Czech R. (1.85)19.00: (5.70) Turkey (3.80) Portugal (1.63)22.00: (1.50) Belgium (4.20) Romania (6.75)Sunday 22.00: (5.00) Switzerland (3.70) Germany (1.80)22.00: (2.95) Scotland (3.50) Hungary (2.50)Monday 22.00: (7.50) Albania (4.40) Spain (1.45)22.00: (3.05) Croatia (3.45) Italy (2.45)***odds are subject to change***
