Pitch Points: Could Italy Really Miss Another World Cup? And Why Has Wirtz Started Slowly At Liverpool?

Could Italy really miss another World Cup?

By nan clip adjacent summer’s World Cup kicks off, it’ll person been 12 years since Italy past played astatine nan tourney they person won much times (four) than immoderate different federation too Brazil (five) and Germany (also four). The measurement things are going, nan Azzurri’s 12-year hold for World Cup qualification could go a 16-year 1 astatine nan very least.

Italy are very overmuch still successful qualification contention. Gennaro Gattuso’s broadside are conscionable 2 points down Norway successful Group I pinch nan Azzurri still to big Erling Haaland and co. successful their last group game. That could beryllium a single-game shootout to determine which squad makes it straight to nan World Cup.

That Italy person missed nan past 2 World Cups is somewhat anomalous considering nan Azzurri won Euro 2020, but their qualification drought has prompted a batch of introspection. Italian soccer’s grassroots person been examined. While nan state erstwhile produced superstars purely retired of habit, now it is scrambling for difference-makers astatine nan elite level.

Moise Kean has precocious emerged arsenic 1 specified difference-maker. The Fiorentina guardant has scored 4 successful his past 3 outings for nan nationalist squad while Mateo Retegui has besides registered 9 extremity contributions successful wins complete Estonia and Israel. Gattuso, who replaced Luciano Spalletti successful June, has astatine slightest sparked immoderate life into Italy’s attack.

In Italy’s past World Cup triumph 2 decades ago, they had much icons than a Florence galleria – Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Del Piero, Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti and more. Italy are a agelong measurement from that level now, nary matter really their 2026 World Cup qualification run finishes.

Why isn’t it happening for Wirtz correct now?

Liverpool paid $155m (£116m) to motion Florian Wirtz this summertime because they believed he was a judge bet. The 22-year-old was wide considered a generational talent and nan Premier League champions saw an opportunity to adhd to their squad from a position of strength, beating Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid to Wirtz’s signing.

Florian Wirtz has yet to people aliases registry an assistance successful nan Premier League this season. Photograph: Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images

So far, though, nan $155m man has been a disappointment. Wirtz has yet to registry a azygous extremity aliases assistance successful 7 Premier League appearances and has moreover been dropped to nan chair by Arne Slot for immoderate matches. Slot says Wirtz is “adjusting” while Germany head Julian Nagelsmann has besides defended his player.

According to Nagelsmann, it’s “not his responsibility if his teammates don’t convert” nan chances being created by Wirtz, and he mightiness person a point. Only Cody Gakpo (14) and Mohamed Salah (12) person created much chances than Wirtz (11) for Liverpool this season. His expected assists (xA) besides ranks highly.

In Liverpool’s past lucifer earlier nan world break distant to Chelsea, Wirtz carved retired a glorious opportunity for Salah, pirouetting to brilliantly group up nan Egyptian for a changeable wrong nan container only for nan chance to beryllium spurned. In nan crippled against Galatasaray earlier that, Wirtz had nan astir shots of immoderate Liverpool subordinate and nan second-most cardinal passes.

Nonetheless, anyone who has watched Wirtz for Liverpool this play hasn’t seen nan aforesaid subordinate who lit up nan Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen. Wirtz mightiness beryllium contributing much than galore are giving him in installments for, but those contributions truthful acold haven’t been worthy $155m.

Is Poch yet getting done to nan USMNT?

When US Soccer hired Mauricio Pochettino arsenic nan astir costly caput coach successful nan history of nan US men’s nationalist team, fewer would person imagined that his process would return a afloat twelvemonth to carnivore fruit. Fruit (possibly lemons), however, is undeniably opening to appear. The USMNT is yet starting to look for illustration a Pochettino team.

Mauricio Pochettino has nan US playing arsenic good arsenic they person nether his tenure arsenic manager. Photograph: Omar Vega/Getty Images

The capacity successful nan 1-1 tie against Ecuador was their champion to date nether nan erstwhile Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss. The US played pinch intensity. They handled nan guidance property well. There was activity and speedy decision-making successful nan last 3rd and an eye-catching individual show by Folarin Balogun arsenic nan No 9, nan USA’s astir problematic of problem positions. Haji Wright besides made a lawsuit for himself by bagging a brace successful nan 2-1 triumph complete Australia.

For a agelong time, it wasn’t clear Pochettino would ever get done to his players. The March defeats to Panama and Canada near a stench truthful beardown that Pochettino spent nan adjacent fewer months airing it out. He publically questioned nan cognition of his players, including his champion subordinate aft Christian Pulisic skipped nan Gold Cup to remainder up this summer. Performances were poor. Some were worse than that.

It was only past period that Alexi Lalas suggested US Soccer should occurrence Pochettino. That, of course, was Lalas being Lalas, but fewer would person based on nan Argentine was justifying his $6m-a-year net astatine that point. Something, however, has changed since past and nan USMNT yet has thing to build on. The dread astir nan 2026 World Cup connected location ungraded has eased. Slightly.