Italy revived with captain GATTUSO

At first glance, the Italy-Estonia match is not worth paying attention to in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in Europe in the early morning of September 6. However, it became the focus because this was the first match coach Gennaro Gattuso led the national team and Italy in the opening match of Group I was defeated 0-3 by host Norway.

"Risky gamble"

That result forced the Italian Football Federation to fire coach L. Spalletti and put their trust in Gattuso.

In fact, the former AC Milan midfielder is not the leading candidate for the hot seat of the Italian national team, because this 47-year-old coach is inexperienced, has not made a name for himself at the club level and has never led a national team. The Italian team has won the World Cup 4 times but is experiencing a haunting experience when the last 2 final rounds (VCK) in 2018 and 2022, they both collapsed in the qualifying round.

Therefore, the decision to choose Gattuso and this former midfielder to lead the national team is considered a gamble for both sides. It should be recalled that according to the format of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in Europe, only the group winners will qualify for the finals. The second-placed team must compete for a play-off ticket - where luck sometimes decides the fate of the entire football industry, as Italy has experienced the last two times!

Ý hồi sinh với thuyền trưởng GATTUSO- Ảnh 1. — Coach Gattuso has brought new vitality to the Italian team, starting with a 5-0 victory over Estonia (Photo: AP)

Italian football has recently declined partly because the quality of players cannot be compared to the other four top leagues in Europe: England, Spain, Germany and France; as well as the lack of a coach of caliber to take charge of the national team. Looking at the current list of hired players for the Italian national team, only center back Calafiori and midfielder Tonali are playing in England for Arsenal and Newcastle, while goalkeeper Donnarumma has just moved to Man City.

However, top officials of Italian football, including team leader G. Buffon, believe that the current weakness and lack of the national team is the spirit of dedication. Those are the qualities that have helped the Italian team overcome crises to unexpectedly reach the final match of major tournaments and win the title - such as the 2006 World Cup and most recently Euro 2020. Therefore, Gattuso - who won the most recent World Cup with Buffon - is the right choice because of his strong personality and character since playing for AC Milan and the Italian team.

In the early morning of September 6, the scene of coach Gattuso and his staff singing the Italian national anthem before the match went viral. That image, along with the way the former "steel warrior" cheered on the sidelines, pushed the Italian players to play their best. After many missed chances, the home team Bergamo opened the score in the 58th minute, starting a "5-star" victory over Estonia.

Emphasize discipline

Both the mainstays and the new recruits of the Italian team appreciate the way the new head coach Gattuso pushes and reminds them with "light punches" and timely pats on the back. That helps them wake up to focus more on completing the task.

During his playing days, Gattuso was a tough defensive midfielder with fierce tackles. However, when he became a coach, he showed tactical flexibility. For example, in a must-win match on the morning of September 6, Gattuso arranged two strikers next to two wingers. The full-backs were also instructed to press high and coordinate overlapping when they had the ball.

The 47-year-old coach believes that he needs to take risks, accepting that he may be counter-attacked in a 1-on-1 situation when losing the ball. However, the players have maintained tactical discipline, showing confidence and a desire to win. That is what Italian football needs from the team at the moment, if we look at neighboring Germany - the team was just criticized by head coach Nagelsmann for playing "lack of fire" in a shocking 0-2 defeat to Slovakia in the early morning of September 5.

Other notable results: France - Ukraine 2-0, Switzerland - Kosovo 4-0, Sweden - Slovenia 2-2, Greece - Belarus 5-1.

Italy have had a promising start under Gattuso but they are currently third in Group I, with just 6 points after 3 matches, 6 and 3 points behind Norway and Israel respectively. Italy need to beat hosts Israel in neutral Hungary early next week to move up to second in the group before considering overthrowing Haaland's Norway (who have won all 4 matches with a goal difference of +11).