ROME (AP) 鈥� Coach Gennaro Gattuso acknowledged that only 鈥渟omeone without blood running through their veins鈥� wouldn鈥檛 feel nervous as Italy attempt to avoid for a third consecutive World Cup.
Gattuso is still just as feisty and gritty as when he played on the Italy team that won the country鈥檚 fourth World Cup in 2006.
Ahead of Thursday鈥檚 playoff match against Northern Ireland, he also suggested he sent home talented winger in what could amount to a definitive break with the standout player of the European Championship trophy run five years ago.
鈥淚t鈥檚 undeniable that there鈥檚 nervousness,鈥� Gattuso said Monday. 鈥淥nly someone without blood running through their veins wouldn鈥檛 feel it. But we need to do a good job of transmitting a lot of positivity.鈥�
Positivity, however, is not what describes Italy鈥檚 performances in the playoffs for the previous two World Cups, when the Azzurri were eliminated by and , respectively.
Italy is in jeopardy at the same stage for the coming World Cup in North America after two losses to Norway in qualifying. The Azzurri need to beat Northern Ireland at home in Bergamo and then Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away next week to avoid going at least 16 years without even playing a match at soccer鈥檚 biggest event.
鈥淭here are no alibis,鈥� Gattuso said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 useless to think if we could have done better. The only thing we should be thinking about is Thursday鈥檚 game. Forget that we鈥檝e won four World Cups, two Euros and an Olympic title. For us, the only game is Thursday鈥檚.
鈥淎ll of the players that are here today know what we鈥檙e playing for and how important it is.鈥�
‘Useless’ for Chiesa to stay
Chiesa was sent back to Liverpool upon briefly rejoining the national team for the first time after an almost two-year absence.
鈥淗e had some minor (phyisical) issues and we decided that it was useless for him to stay,鈥� Gattuso said.
But then why are other injured players like Sandro Tonali, Gianluca Scamacca and Alessandro Bastoni staying with the team? Especially after Gattuso announced when he took over from the fired Luciano Spalletti in June that with the squad to improve team spirit.
鈥淏ecause not every player has the same frame of mind,鈥� Gattuso said. 鈥淲hen I hear that someone is wavering that鈥檚 when I know I need to make a choice. We decided it together. He felt he wasn鈥檛 up to it and he went home. I need to accept it.鈥�
Bologna winger Nicol貌 Cambiaghi has replaced Chiesa.
Chiesa has played only sparingly since joining Liverpool from Juventus two years ago and started only one Premier League match this season.
Northern Ireland also lost a key player Monday when center back Daniel Ballard was ruled out with an injured hamstring. The Sunderland defender is among the few with Premier League experience on Northern Ireland’s team.
Conor Bradley, Northern Ireland’s captain and a Liverpool right back, was already out injured.
Team dinners
Since Gattuso was not able to convince soccer authorities to set up a training camp in the four months since Italy last played, he and delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon embarked on a tour up and down Italy 鈥� plus trips to London, Saudi Arabia and Qatar 鈥� to share dinners with the squad players in order to maintain team spirit.
鈥淭here was no white board or markers,鈥� Gattuso said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 go to talk about football or tactics. 鈥� We were there to create team unity.鈥�
Bergamo stadium
Gattuso said he chose to play in Bergamo鈥檚 23,500-seat stadium to create a more positive atmosphere. When Italy lost to Norway at the San Siro in November, he noticed that AC Milan and Inter Milan fans would whistle at players from opposing clubs.
鈥淎t the first errant pass you start hearing the whistles,鈥� Gattuso said. 鈥淲hereas when we played in Bergamo we got cheered at halftime when it was 0-0.鈥�
Dealing with adversity
Italy led Norway 1-0 at halftime in November before Norway scored four second-half goals 鈥� including a brace by Erling Haaland.
鈥淚 really worked a lot over these months at dealing with adversity. One event shouldn鈥檛 change the dynamics of a match,鈥� Gattuso said. 鈥淚t depends on how you react and deal with it.鈥�
Olympics, F1 and tennis
The playoff comes following a string of 鈥� from the Winter Olympics to Formula 1 to tennis, volleyball and even baseball.
鈥淭hese things go in cycles,鈥� Gattuso said. 鈥淲hen I see us winning in other sports it gets me motivated. It makes me feel pride. 鈥� Right now our history tells us that we鈥檙e struggling. But we鈥檝e got a big chance here to reach our goal.鈥�
If Italy does qualify for the World Cup, it will be in Group B with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
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