Italy vs. Norway: Every word of Gattuso’s pre-match press conference

Gennaro Gattuso has confirmed that Davide Frattesi will start for Italy against Norway in World Cup qualifying on Sunday, but that he will be without Sandro Tonali and Riccardo Calafiori as the Azzurri prepare to do battle with the in-form Norway and the threat of Erling Haaland. 

Italy need an unfathomable 9-0 (or equivalent) victory over Norway, who have a 100% win record in World Cup qualifying, if they are to qualify directly for the final tournament. Any less than that means that the Azzurri will have to go through the play-off campaign in the new year. 

Here is everything that the Italy CT said during his pre-match press conference at Coverciano on Saturday. 

Gattuso has confirmed that Riccardo Calafiori is unfit and will not feature, but that he will still watch the game from the stands in San Siro. 

Tonali will also be in attendance at his old stadium, but will not feature either. This is not due to injury, but due to the fact that he is carrying a booking and is at risk of suspension for the inevitable World Cup play-off campaign. 

“Calafiori’s out, he was trying yesterday. Tonali is also out, he doesn’t have any physical issues, but we won’t risk him given his booking. He’ll train today and he will be at the stadium tomorrow, as well as Calafiori. Both will attend the match.” 

Gattuso also gave a response to politician Ignazio La Russa, who criticised Gattuso for condemning boos and offensive chants during the 2-0 win over Moldova. 

“I respect what La Russa said, he wasn’t at the stadium and he didn’t even watch it on TV, because you could hear them wishing death to others through the TV as well,” Gattuso said. “Others have come to Coverciano. These were not boos. I’ve always accepted those, but this was much more serious.” 

Gattuso then returned to discussing Italy’s prospects in the inevitable play-off campaign and the limited time that the squad will have to prepare for them. 

“Our future is to try and get to the World Cup,” Gattuso said. “We’re talking about how to stay close to our players. We’re organising how to get together in February, to have 48 hours together, to go and visit them. We’re arranging that, and to go and watch all the games using all of our resources.” 

And what does he expect to see from Italy when they take on Norway on Sunday?
“We have to be very intelligent and not get caught up in the emotions. Tomorrow’s game is one that will help us understand what level we’re at, and where the bar is. But we need to be intelligent, too. We can’t take any sendings off, we can’t have any foolishness. 

“We can also grow in mentality in these sorts of games. I watched the game in Oslo with my staff and I liked what I saw from Italy in the first 15-20 minutes. It was a different game after the 1-0.

“They have four players up front who take advantage of every mistake, and when they go into a defensive block, it’s difficult to put them in any sort of danger. Right now, Norway are a 360° team.”

Gattuso was asked if he wants to see Serie A matches postponed in March in order to help Italy better prepare for the World Cup play-offs. 

He replied: There’s not a lot we can do about it. The (FIGC) President works on these sorts of things. Miracles can’t be pulled off by one single person. In our opinion, it will be very difficult to move them. We hope they will give us one or two windows to see our players.” 

Gattuso was asked if Gianluca Mancini and Davide Frattesi will also be left out of the team, like Tonali, given that they are also at risk of suspension for the play-offs. 

“Mancini took a yellow and gritted his teeth. We’ll see, either him or Buongiorno (will play). Frattesi will play tomorrow. He has completely different characteristics and will start from the first minute.” 

When asked if Sunday will be an opportunity for Pio Esposito to prove himself in an Italy shirt, Gattuso replied: “He doesn’t have to prove anything, that’s not his game. Pio has to be Pio, he has to fight and play well. He has to tie his game together, be able to score. We’re talking about a player who is already very mature given his age. 

“I’ve talked to him about certain things, he’s also got great competition at Inter, and so he doesn’t have to prove himself in every single game. He doesn’t have to prove anything tomorrow, he has to be Pio.” 

Gattuso was then asked why he feels that Norway are first and Italy second in the qualification group standings. 

“I congratulate Norway,” he said. “They’ve shown great quality and mentality. Right now, they’re one of those national teams you have to play an incredible game against in order to beat them. 

“Tomorrow’s game is clear. We know what they want to do, and they are very good at blocking defensively. Their line is unlikely to break. They’re compact. They make you believe that you’re dominating the game, and then they hurt you with the qualities of their attacking players, and on set-pieces as well. It will be a difficult game.” 

Has Gattuso considered the possibility of a 9-0 victory against Norway on Sunday? 

“A 9-0 is unthinkable. Never say never in football, but we have to look at reality. We’re preparing the game the same as any other, we’ll play with pride and knowing that we’re up against a team that put us in a lot of difficulty six months ago. 

“With intelligence and if we play with our heads, we’ll be able to bring continuity to what we have been doing. Winning 9-0 is very, very difficult, but never say never.” 

Gattuso was then asked a follow-up question, with one reporter pointing out that Italy would have qualified with a 4-0 win over Norway had the groups been decided on head-to-head rather than goal difference. 

He responded: “I don’t want to talk about it anymore because they’ve been telling me that I’m getting massacred in South America at the minute. We live in a world where we can’t say anything anymore.” 

Is Erling Haaland the best no.9 in the world right now? 

“There are strikers, and then there are strikers,” Gattuso replied. Given what he does, yes. He’s unique, he has strength, he has the shot and he has incredible coordination. He’s an incredibly flexible player and has impressive speed. 

“Obviously there are other strikers with different characteristics, like Mbappe, but you can’t make that comparison. He’s collecting record after record, he’s a machine. He plays all the time. I’m not wishing him ill, but he’s never had any serious injuries, and that’s important.”