Italy's World Cup qualification hopes have been left hanging by a thread after a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Norway at San Siro, plunging manager Gennaro Gattuso's future into serious doubt and raising the spectre of the Azzurri missing their third consecutive global tournament.
Norway Nightmare Seals Playoff Fate
The mathematics were stark even before kickoff: Italy needed to beat Norway by nine clear goals to secure automatic qualification from Group I. Instead, they suffered their heaviest qualifying defeat in recent memory against a Norwegian side that had conceded only four goals in their previous seven matches.
The comprehensive loss confirmed Italy's place in the fraught World Cup playoffs next March, where their recent history provides little comfort. The four-time world champions previously failed to navigate playoffs for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, suffering shock defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia respectively.
Gattuso didn't hold back in his post-match assessment, highlighting his team's "fear and fragility" during a second-half collapse that Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport likened to "snow melting in the sun."
Gattuso's Controversial Qualification Complaints
Even before the Norway debacle, Gattuso had used his pre-match press conference to launch a remarkable broadside against the World Cup qualification system, suggesting European heavyweights like Italy face unfair obstacles compared to teams from other continents.
The Italy coach complained bitterly about a system that could see his team win six of their eight qualifiers yet still face the playoff lottery, while nations from other regions qualify with significantly poorer records. His comments about the increasing number of African World Cup places - from two during his playing days to nine in the expanded tournament - drew particular criticism for being Eurocentric and dismissive.
"It's not a question for me, but it is for whoever draws up the rules and the groups," Gattuso stated, before proceeding to answer the question he claimed wasn't his to address. "In my day, the top team in each group would go through, plus the best runners-up. We've got 18 points, won six games, and still we have to go into another two matches to qualify. It doesn't seem right."
Growing Pressure on Vibes-Manager Gattuso
p>With Italy's playoff place now confirmed, attention turns to whether Gattuso will remain in charge for the high-stakes matches in March. The former AC Milan midfielder replaced the more tactically sophisticated Luciano Spalletti just two games into the qualifying campaign and has always presented himself as more of a motivator than a tactical innovator.Criticism of Gattuso's appointment has grown increasingly vocal in Italy. Prominent journalist Gab Marcotti encapsulated the mood when he stated: "Between having a not good coach who is Gattuso and a not good coach who is somebody else, I will pick somebody else. Because you need to send a message that this is not who we want to represent us at this stage."
The contrast with Italy's triumphant Euro 2020 campaign under Roberto Mancini only heightens the sense of crisis. That unexpected victory during their World Cup exile added to what Marcotti called the "generally stereotypical Italian craziness" of their current predicament - European champions but potentially missing a third consecutive World Cup.
As Italy confront their playoff demons once again, the question remains whether Gattuso can instil the mental fortitude that has been conspicuously absent in previous crucial matches, or whether the FIGC will decide a change in leadership is necessary to avoid completing an unwanted hat-trick of World Cup failures.
