Spalletti: I told Acerbi he was right but I needed a ‘lighter touch’ as Italy coach

Luciano Spalletti insists that Francesco Acerbi had accepted to play for Italy in June, before rejecting a call-up, but admits he needed a ‘lighter touch’ as the Italy coach.

Spalletti opened up about Acerbi’s refusal to play for the Italy national team in June, for games against Norway and Moldova.

The experienced centre-back was called up for the opening 2026 World Cup qualifying fixtures, even if Spalletti had previously hinted that the Inter defender was too old to be part of the team.

Spalletti reveals what he told Acerbi before Inter defender snubbed Italy call-up

“More and more people are finding excuses or reasons not to fulfil their commitments, and fewer are willing to put themselves on the line,” Spalletti said during Gazzetta dello Sport‘s Festival dello Sport on Sunday.

Acerbi rejected the call-up after Inter’s Champions League Final loss against PSG, just a few days before an away game in Norway, which the Azzurri lost 3-0, leading to Spalletti’s dismissal.

“Acerbi had the chance to tell me those things earlier, but he said them too late. Acerbi had accepted the preliminary call-up. The day before announcing the squad, I called him and told him he was right because the pitch had spoken clearly,” Spalletti explained.

“He was still one of the best. He had scored the decisive goal in the semifinal against Barcelona, and I told him he was still one of the best, even if I had left him out earlier to give strength to the younger players. I wanted to call him up for a crucial match against Norway, as we had three injured defenders: Gatti, Gabbia and Buongiorno.”

Spalletti admits mistakes as Italy coach

Spalletti took charge of the following game against Moldova, but had already been sacked by the Italian Federation, who then replaced him with Gennaro Gattuso.

“I tried to convey my own way of being; perhaps I was wrong,” Spalletti admitted.

“Sometimes players didn’t respond well. Maybe there was a need for a lighter touch to keep the enormous pressure under control. I tried to make them understand that football is something serious. I’ve always asked myself how the players would take my words.”