Rino Gattuso, Italy’s national team manager, spoke to Rai ahead of the match against Northern Ireland, a semi-final in the play-offs for a place at the 2026 World Cup: “We need to be good at winning the crowd over to our side. There’ll be a great atmosphere at the start, but then we’ll have to show the crowd that we’re alive and kicking, that we’re giving as good as we get.”
"Set-pieces are a fresh start because when they put the ball in, they believe strongly in what they’re doing and we have to respect them. In terms of the flow of the game, we have a slight edge over them, but we must respect them and give our all from the very first minute," adds the manager.
