From meeting with Jannik Sinner to an encounter with Venezuela on Thursday: the Azzurri are ready to take to the pitch for the first of their two friendlies in the United States. It’ll be the first time Italy have faced the Venezuelans in their history, with the match set to kick off at 22:00 CET at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. As Luciano Spalletti pointed out during his press conference in Rome before the team’s departure for the US, it’ll be opportunity to assess the group with less than three months to go until EURO 2024. “In today’s game, there is a tendency to be able to interpret different formations and systems, which is why we need to do something modern,” said the Head Coach in today’s press conference ahead of the group’s final session at the Inter Miami Training Complex before the game. “Before, we didn’t have much time, so we focused on a certain system. Now that we have these two friendlies, we can try something different. Commitment- and time-wise, I’m doing everything I can for the National Team, but it’s our results that will make the difference. The choice to play these opponents was made with growth in mind, also because we’ll be up against sides who will test us.”

Spalletti will have these next two friendlies (the other game will be against Ecuador on Sunday) and the two June matches against Turkey (Tuesday 4 June in Bologna) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sunday 9 June in Empoli) to help him make his choices: “We’ll take a close look at these friendlies, our training sessions and club matches and see how some new players get on. We need to constantly create something stronger; you have these tests and results emerge from them.”

Like all the players, the Head Coach was delighted to see Sinner: “He is a great example and a perfectly normal young man who, from a difficult situation, has climbed his way up towards the very top. Yesterday, he showed us that to reach the top level, you have to manage yourself in an elite way in the hours when you’re not playing your sport. He has this great mentality, as reflected by his choice to change his trainer. He knows where he wants to go.”

Yesterday, Italian football was shaken by the passing of Joe Barone, Fiorentina’s General Manager. “As a group, we are close to Barone’s family, Fiorentina and President Commisso. We know what we have lost in our sport. He influenced football more in five years than many others do in a lifetime. The Viola Park structure is testament to that, the example of what it means to be a great entrepreneur.”

Sitting next to Spalletti in the press conference was Gigio Donnarumma: “We’re delighted to be here in the US, where there are many Italians supporting us. We want to entertain them and make them proud,” said the goalkeeper. “All our matches are important in terms of preparing for the Euros. Playing these two friendlies with the right mindset will help get us ready. We’ll take every opportunity we can to try to add that little bit extra. We’ll need to be ready for any situation tomorrow and are preparing for the game in the best way possible.”