Luciano Spalletti

“Systems no longer exist.” Luciano Spalletti’s statement in 2022 was neither a provocative gesture nor a denial of structure, but rather a reorientation of the analytical focus of the game. For the Italian coach, contemporary football is no longer primarily organised around fixed schemes or static arrangements, but around the...

Juventus met Benfica at the Allianz Stadium in Turin for a decisive UEFA Champions League fixture for I Bianconeri, since their qualification to the knockout rounds was directly linked to their success in this match. Juventus succeeded in winning convincingly despite some errors and weaknesses that can be fixed over...

Luciano Spalletti attracted a lot of media attention when he formed a very strong team at Napoli, which won the Scudetto in 2022/2023. A Scudetto many people did not see coming to Napoli, but rather Inter Milan, AC Milan, or Juventus. After one season at Napoli and one Scudetto, he...

Napoli hosted Juventus for the 14th fixture of Serie A at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona; the game ended with an entertaining Napoli win that keeps them in the title race. Napoli have looked great since the international break despite numerous injuries limiting the team's options, especially in midfield. Those injuries...

Juventus met Sporting CP for the fourth fixture of the UEFA Champions League in a game that ended with a 1-1 draw. The draw can be considered positive for Sporting CP, as the Portuguese side was able to secure one point from a complicated away game, despite being capable of...

The evolution of inverted full-backs stands as one of the most significant tactical innovations of the past decade. Born from the need to manipulate central spaces and enhance control during the possession phase, this role has transformed the approach to deep build-up play and the creation of numerical superiority in...

After two thrilling legs in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals, Germany advanced to the next stage, overcoming Italy 5-4 on aggregate. As we all witnessed, the tactical battle between Luciano Spalletti and Julian Nagelsmann was intense throughout both matches, making it the exciting encounter we anticipated. However, there was another tactical...

Italy hosted Germany for the first leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals at the historic San Siro stadium in Milan. The game ended 1-2 in Germany's favor, which does not really reflect what happened. Though Germany had more possession, Italy created more dangerous goal-scoring opportunities. Still, Germany were more clinical in...

Not many Argentinian-Italian players have represented the Italian national team with success. Yet, some remarkable names can be mentioned when talking about players born in Argentina who had a significant impact on the Azzurri. These names include Mauro Germán Camoranesi (one of the 2006 World Cup winners), Gabriel Paletta (former...

Not many Argentinian-Italian players have represented the Italian national team with success. Yet, some remarkable names can be mentioned when talking about players born in Argentina who had a significant impact with the Azzurri. These names include Mauro Germán Camoranesi, who was one of the 2006 World Cup winners, Gabriel...

Many discovered Riccardo Calafiori's talent during UEFA Euro 2024. He shone with the Azzurri thanks to his excellent defensive and playmaking performances despite Italy’s overall bad tournament and unconvincing collective performances. Despite Italy’s poor run of form, Calafiori successfully attracted the attention of most of those who watched Italy’s group-stage...

Following their failure in UEFA Euro 2024, Italy have been trying to start a new chapter under the management of Luciano Spalletti. Italy quickly turned the page on Euro 2024, starting its UEFA Nations League journey with an important 1-3 away win against France. Then, they beat Israel away and...

Many discovered Riccardo Calafiori's talent during UEFA Euro 2024 when he shone with the Azzurri thanks to his excellent defensive and playmaking performances despite Italy’s overall bad tournament and unconvincing collective performances. Despite Italy’s poor run of form, Calafiori succeeded in attracting the attention of most of those who watched...

Whilst they came into Euro 2024 as the defending champions, there weren’t many who gave Italy a chance of retaining the trophy, and instead, they were written off in many quarters as one of those teams that could underperform. This was an understandable judgment to make, given that head coach...

If you fell down yesterday, stand up today. AC Milan, a seven-time UEFA Champions League victor, has made it to the semi-finals after a 1-1 draw with Napoli at Diego Armando Maradona stadium. Napoli, a dominant team this season and the current leaders of Serie A, were defeated 1-0 by...

With four goals scored and no goals conceded, AC Milan smoothly defeated Napoli in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. It was exciting to witness the future generation of players in the Milan team together to surprise the league leaders Napoli at every turn of the game. Brahim Diaz, a young...

In this Serie A season, Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli are marching towards the Scudetto with a big margin over second in the league — they also entered the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League after beating Eintracht Frankfurt. Under Spalletti, many players thrived, notable individuals included Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen, and...

SSC Napoli are dominating Serie A. Italy’s football fans are enthusiastic not only about Napoli's success but above all about the kind of football they play. The country's sports press speaks of "La Grande Bellezza". Has the race for the Scudetto already been decided, even though the first half of...

Napoli have so far this season blown teams away with ease in both the Serie A and the UEFA Champions League, where they sit at the top of both coming into the new year. While the praise of their excellent open-play football is rightly justified, it can be easy to...

There are a few European teams that have been utterly dominant in the 2022/23 season and while some of them are regularly under the spotlight, others, like Napoli, have surprised with their maturity and efficiency. Luciano Spalletti’s side have impressed both in Serie A and the UEFA Champions League and...