LIVE: Gattuso’s first Italy press conference ahead of Moldova and Norway games in November

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The Azzurri will arrive at Coverciano today, training under Gattuso at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT).

Football Italia is among the accredited media at Italy’s training centre today.

Gattuso’s press conference will begin at 14:00 CET (13:00 GMT).

The press conference is over. Gigi Buffon followed it from the first row. Players are due to arrive shortly; the training session begins at 17:00 CET.

“He [Pio Esposito] can’t afford to make any mistakes, because he’s only 20 and still has to prove himself. Raspadori also falls into this category. I think he’s a great player and the fact that he plays so little pains me. These are our issues. Certainly, having some nicer stadiums would help too.”

“When I congratulated Italiano and Gasperini…this is high-level football. It’s undeniable that in the Premier League they play a different sport because of their financial strength, but our league is tough. If you are good in preparing the game tactically…we have incredible coaches, very well prepared. If you don’t invent a move, it’s hard to win games.

“There’s another important thing. In every game, there are just a couple of players to watch. It means 60-65 players, this is the most difficult thing, not the quality of the league.”

“It’s true, he’s not as dynamic as Pio or Retegui right now, but Retegui, Pio, and Moise like to move and don’t give reference points. It doesn’t change much; there isn’t an ideal striker partner. Both Pio and Retegui have dynamism.”

“I spent 14-15 years at Milanello. I have memories, but I’m not excited. There are so many things to think about. As for Gabbia, I also told him, he’s a lad who has grown a lot. I like the way he plays and how he trains. I knew he was a serious guy, but I have to say that he’s really improved in recent years and he’s doing things seriously. When a player is humble and understand this it’s already a great value.”

“Football has changed. Today, you play on reference points. Only Sarri defends as a unit. We’ve gone this way for a few years, also abroad. It becomes a different sport. We can say that today there are important players who don’t know how to win aerial duels; there’s no more work on the wall to improve technique. That’s what we must talk about, not about defenders not being able to defend anymore, because football has gone in a different way.”

“The first game is more important to me. The second one will get prepared by itself. We know Norway can cause trouble for us; we must decide whether to press or sit deep. They have quality and physicality. We were unlucky to find a Norway that is playing great football, but I still think that the game to prepare well mentally is the one against Moldova.”

“I spoke to Spalletti, I congratulated him. He asked me if I needed anything, but I just called him to wish him good luck.

“Napoli have a great coach, who has won a lot and knows how to move. I’ve worked for 19 months in Naples and it’s never easy to confirm yourself after winning. I think Antonio has the strenght to react to this negative moment. I mean, negative…if you look at the table, they are all there.”

“I expect them to give their best. I want to see the utmost commitment, the desire to improve as a team.”

“He’s not just a left-back, he plays in more than one role. He recognises the spaces and knows how to move. He’s a smart player, he can play anywhere. Left-back, centre-back, central midfielder. He can do anything.”

“We had an important meeting 20 days ago with Maurizio, Gigi and all the people working in the federation and I must say that the work of the last few years has been incredible, but we must not lose our young players.

“We didn’t win much in the youth teams, now it’s the other way around, but there’s a lot of material, and I think the work at a youth level has been great. Now we must be good at raising the bar and not stop them at the U19 squad. We must give them a chance to grow and make mistakes.

“We have a problem, we immediately come to conclusions, and in my experience you can’t do so until they are 21 or 22. We need patience. This is what my experience abroad had taught me.”

“Honestly, I like the courage of Italiano and Gasperini. Look at Mancini in the last 2-3 games, he looks like Cafu! Likewise, Italiano has no fear. They bring four or five players in the final third; they don’t fear the one-v-one defensively. I must congragulate them.”

“Many midfielders go on the wings in the build-up, and if you prepare for games this way, with central midfielders moving wide, it’s hard to bring the ball inside the box. Many teams have been built this way. This is the problem.”

“There are no more easy games. The trap is always around the corner, and I expect a tough game. My players know it.

“Scamacca? He has nothing to prove; he knows what I want to see during training sessions, but if he’s here, it’s because I strongly believe in him. He’s had serious injuries, but he can do important things so I expect him to do things properly, he has nothing to prove, he must only see what his teammates are doing.”

“When I watch games, I must focus on players, not the game itself. It’s hard to play in Serie A because there are tactical masters, and it’s the biggest issue. If we talk about intensity, it’s always low because it’s the ball that must move quickly and it’s hard with short passes in tight spaces. I have a lot of fun when a team must get back in a game, so there are more spaces and players start doing something different.

“Berardi? Nobody questions his qualities; we know him well. I know what he can give us, but I have decisions to make. We’ll see.”

“I have my idea, the problem is that tactics dominate our league because there are well-prepared coaches who prepare for games incredibly. There is little space, and it’s hard to play in open spaces, like in other leagues. This means we have to play differently.

“As for Moise, he played a cup game with Fiorentina last week; they took a risk, and he picked up a knock. We are sorry we lost him, but we have strong strikers who have already helped us and we expect a lot from them.”

“Barella is with us, he’s suspended in the first game. I spoke to Tonali 10 days ago; surely we can’t afford to miss an important player like him for the semifinals. I think it’s difficult that he’ll play against Norway.”

“Regista? Locatelli can play there, Ricci too. We have it. Locatelli is a natural playmaker, Ricci can also play as a mezzala.”

“I believe that when a team can play with more than one system, it’s great. We’ll use two different formations.