Spalletti: I told Acerbi he was right but I needed a ‘lighter touch’ as Italy coach

Luciano Spalletti insists that Francesco Acerbi had accepted to play for Italy in June, before rejecting a call-up, but admits he needed a ‘lighter touch’ as the Italy coach.

Spalletti opened up about Acerbi’s refusal to play for the Italy national team in June, for games against Norway and Moldova.

The experienced centre-back was called up for the opening 2026 World Cup qualifying fixtures, even if Spalletti had previously hinted that the Inter defender was too old to be part of the team.

“More and more people are finding excuses or reasons not to fulfil their commitments, and fewer are willing to put themselves on the line,” Spalletti said during Gazzetta dello Sport‘s Festival dello Sport on Sunday.

Acerbi rejected the call-up after Inter’s Champions League Final loss against PSG, just a few days before an away game in Norway, which the Azzurri lost 3-0, leading to Spalletti’s dismissal.

“Acerbi had the chance to tell me those things earlier, but he said them too late. Acerbi had accepted the preliminary call-up. The day before announcing the squad, I called him and told him he was right because the pitch had spoken clearly,” Spalletti explained.

“He was still one of the best. He had scored the decisive goal in the semifinal against Barcelona, and I told him he was still one of the best, even if I had left him out earlier to give strength to the younger players. I wanted to call him up for a crucial match against Norway, as we had three injured defenders: Gatti, Gabbia and Buongiorno.”