After a dismal outing at the recently concluded European championship in Germany, Italy coach Luciano Spalletti hopes the Azurri can start afresh with a new era against France.

 Italy was eliminated in the knockout stage of the competition by Switzerland, who outplayed his men from the beginning to the end of the clash, having struggled in the group stage of the tournament to qualify as one of the best losers.

They will now begin another journey in the Nations League at Parc des Princes on Friday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT) against Les Bleus, who were ousted by eventual winners Spain in the semifinals.

Admitting that he was ‘a pain’ and took the wrong approach with his players at EURO 2024, the former Inter Milan boss is ready for a fresh start with his squad.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the clash, Spaletti said the France squad is of the highest level. He is, therefore, expecting a difficult game.

Spalletti said he saw good things in his squad during their training and wanted them to replicate that during the match.

“On a tactical level, they almost give you the impression that you are allowed to control the game, then as soon as they win the ball back, their strikers can cause problems for anyone in open space,” the Italian tactician added.

Spalletti succeeded Roberto Mancini, who suddenly resigned in August 2023, having led them to the European championship in 2020 in England. Spalletti was thrown in at the deep end to secure qualification and then had little time with his players to prepare for EURO 2024.

Admitting that mistakes were made in his first international tournament, the tactician said it became different when he understood what happened and why it happened. “We have done that, and now what the players want has become fundamental. I saw them stand up straight and not want to carry around regrets.”

It’s now left for the Azzurri to prove their mettle against their hosts as they begin another journey.