Spalletti speaks to De Laurentiis: “Three coaches haven’t changed even in five years”

"The players must be comforted, convinced that they are strong. Nothing is enough to demotivate them. Young people like Zirkzee, Kvara must be cultivated, defended and supported"

ROME – “I lost my brother Marcello, a rock. And my father Carlo, even stronger. Nothing else can scratch me.” Luciano Spalletti becomes unshakeable coach of the national team interviewee from the Corriere della Sera. He goes back to talking about Napoli, “his” Napoli, and the opposite one, in crisis, which still has the scudetto sewn on its shirt. He says that “three coaches generally don’t change even in five years. How can you assimilate so many things in just a few months from men who have different methods and characters. The players, sometimes, need to be comforted, convinced that they are strong. Nothing is enough to demotivate oneself. Young guys like Zirkzee, for example, must be cultivated, defended and supported every day.”

How do you keep a locker room united where different cultures and religions persist? “Connecting on the same wavelength, all equal in a context where we have to give each other strength. Convince each other that we are strong, motivated and always on track. Sport is essentially integration, example can and it must also start from us. Diversity is a value, it makes us grow. It opens our horizons.”

“In front of the dressing room there is a virtual piggy bank where everyone puts what they have and can give. Recovering a lost ball can be worth as much as a goal. This is how you win, this is how relationships are born. I remember Totti’s happy face, when I was at Roma and with the whole team we went to him in the hospital. When we saw each other again after years, we hugged each other in the eyes, in their posture. I assure you we met again, the foundations of our relationship are strong.” .