Carlo Ancelotti
April 2026
Carlo Ancelotti says Italy has lost the defensive solidity that once defined its football culture and believes that tactical trends have weakened the national game. He linked the decline to Italy’s third straight failure to qualify for the World Cup. Ancelotti argued that Italian teams now chase aggressive pressing and build-up styles without the defensive precision needed to support them. In his view, the country has moved away from the characteristics that historically made Italian football strong and feared.