In the latest episode of the “European Championship journey with Johan Kücükaslan”, SVT Sport is on site in Italy to take the pace of the reigning champion. The country was close to missing out on the championship – and among experts and the media, pessimism is high.
– This is probably the weakest national team that Italy has ever had. We’ve lost all the stars. We do have a good national team captain, but this team lacks the spark we used to have, says well-known football journalist Tancredi Palmeri.
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The golden hero from the last European Championship, Giorgio Chiellini, ended his career last fall. The 39-year-old is a little more positive than Palmeri.
– We do not have big stars, but still good players. We have a good enough team to make the playoffs with. We need to be solid.
You made some headlines during the 2021 tournament, including after you pulled down England’s Bukayo Saka in the closing minutes of the final.
– I didn’t think about it then and there. When I pulled Saka, it was to try and repair a mistake of not conceding a goal in the closing minutes. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective.
Watch the full episode of “The EC trip with Johan Kücükaslan” on SVT Play.