Azzurri on the pitch in Coverciano for morning training before leaving for Bari where tomorrow Italy will face Malta for the first of two Euro 2024 qualifying matches. After the shock for the involvement of Tonali and Zaniolo in the investigation on betting, with the police arrived yesterday at the federal technical center to hear the two players, Spalletti's national team tries to find normality: the two blues as expected have left the retreat, and El Shaarawy has joined, already on the field for training.
The atmosphere is apparently and ostentatiously serene, between jokes and laughter. Before going on the pitch usually short confrontation in the gym, all together, even the staff, and then the usual collective scream 'we are Italy' repeated three times, then applause and everyone on the field.
In an atmosphere at least apparently serene, Luciano Spalletti continued the preparation of the two commitments valid for the European qualifiers, starting with the first that now looms, tomorrow evening (20.45) in Bari against Malta. Removed Federico Chiesa and Mattia Zaccagni to the pits to carry out their respective work programs (in the next few hours it will be decided whether to join them to the group that will leave Florence in the afternoon or leave them in Coverciano in view of Tuesday's trip with England) the remaining 24 players took the field for finishing, including the latest arrival, the Romanista El Shaarawy. As usual, the coach divided them into two groups, mixing the cards a bit in terms of formation: with the yellow bib Darmian, Scalvini, Acerbi, Dimarco, Frattesi, Locatelli, Bonaventura, Orsolini, Scamacca and El Shaarawy himself; with the blue bib Di Lorenzo, Gatti, Bastoni, Biraghi, Barella, Cristante, Udogie, Berardi, Raspadori, Kean. Both Tonali and Zaniolo ended up involved in the investigation into football betting in the morning: the first to leave was the former Milan player, the second a little later in the company of his father, in the afternoon a private flight to Birmingham awaits him.
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