The Italian national team arrived in Luxembourg on Tuesday evening, with interim coach Silvio Baldini and a player scheduled to address the media at a press conference at the Stade de Luxembourg later that night. Notably, Italy chose to hold their pre-match training sessions in Florence rather than in the Grand Duchy, a departure from the usual routine for international games.
Italy originally planned to use upcoming friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece to fine-tune its team for this summer’s FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, for the third consecutive time, the reigning European champions failed to qualify for the World Cup. Finishing second in their qualifying group, behind undefeated Norway, Italy secured a play-off win over Northern Ireland but subsequently lost a decisive penalty shootout away to Bosnia and Herzegovina, dashing their hopes of reaching the tournament.
These failures have triggered significant upheaval within Italian football. Gennaro Gattuso, the 2006 World Cup winner and national team coach, as well as his former teammate and team coordinator Gianluigi Buffon and football federation president Gabriele Gravina, have all resigned from their positions. The national team’s results are not the only reason for the current crisis: Italy’s clubs have struggled in European competitions, and the sport’s reputation has been further tarnished by a scandal involving referee coordinator Gianluca Rocchi, who is under investigation for allegedly influencing VAR decisions in the domestic league.
Italy’s golden era in world football appears to be over. In the past, the national team boasted world-class players such as Roberto Baggio, Andrea Pirlo, Franco Baresi, Fabio Cannavaro, and Paolo Maldini. While goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma continues the tradition of Italian greats between the posts, following names like Gianluigi Buffon and Dino Zoff, Italy currently lacks elite talent in other positions.
This rebuild is reflected in the composition of the current team. Interim coach Silvio Baldini, most recently Italy’s under-21 manager, has called up 19 debutants for the friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece. The team, with an average age of just 21, features Donnarumma as its most prominent name, but is otherwise dominated by under-21 internationals. Several established stars, including Sandro Tonali, Riccardo Calafiori, Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolò Barella, and Federico Dimarco, are missing from the line-up.
The team includes several promising players from the German Bundesliga, such as Fabio Chiarodia (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Filippo Mane, Luca Reggiani, and Samuele Inacio (all Borussia Dortmund). Many other team members are contracted to top Italian clubs, including Pio Esposito (Inter Milan), Niccolò Pisilli (AS Roma), and Davide Bartesaghi (AC Milan). Matteo Dagasso, who recently helped Venezia earn promotion to Serie A alongside Luxembourg’s Seid Korac, is also included. In addition, several players were part of Italy’s under-19 European Championship-winning side in 2023. The Italian federation hopes to replicate such successes at the senior level in the future, underscoring the importance of developing young talent.
The friendly between Luxembourg and Italy will be broadcast live from 8pm on RTL Zwee, on radio, and on RTL Play.
Goalkeepers: Giovanni Daffara (US Avellino), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone Calcio)
Defenders: Honest Ahanor (Atalanta Bergamo), Davide Bartesaghi (AC Milan), Fabio Chiarodia (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Pietro Comuzzo (AC Florenz), Costantino Favasuli (Catanzaro), Niccolò Fortini (AC Florenz), Filippo Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Marco Palestra (Cagliari Calcio), Luca Reggiani (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfielders: Tommaso Berti (FC Cesena), Matteo Dagasso (FC Venedeg), Giacomo Faticanti (Juventus Turin), Luca Lipani (US Sassuolo), Cher Ndour (AC Florenz), Niccolò Pisilli (AS Roum)
Forwards: Francesco Camarda (US Lecce), Luigi Cherubini (Sampdoria Genua), Jeff Ekhator (CFC Genua), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter Mailand), Seydou Fini (Frosinone Calcio), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Luca Koleosho (Paris FC)
