The Italian Gob: The Euros champions are in danger of early Euro 2024 exit if foul-mouthed boss Luciano Spalletti can't keep his cool against Switzerland

Barely an hour after Italy had avoided an early Euro 2024 exit by the tiniest of margins, Luciano Spalletti decided to let rip.

The Azzurri coach has always been a spiky character but even by his standards, this was particularly acidic. Spalletti had taken exception to the suggestion that the switch to a 3-5-2 formation for the 1-1 draw with Croatia on Monday was the result of a ‘pact’ with the players and launched into a foul-mouthed response.

‘How old are you?’ Spalletti asked the reporter, who was 51. ‘You’re 51, so you’ve got 14 more years of w*****g to go to get to 65, which is my age. I speak to the players. I use my eyes and ears. What’s the problem? What sort of a pact are you talking about?’

Spalletti is said to have phoned the journalist to apologise but it felt like a loss of control just when Italy need their coach to hold his nerve.

For no matter how experienced you are, there is nothing quite like leading your country in a major tournament. Spalletti is one of the best Italian coaches and has handled high pressure games at Roma, Inter Milan and Napoli, where he won the Serie A title for only the third time in the club’s history.

Yet now that 60million pairs of eyes are on him, Spalletti is showing signs of creaking under the pressure. His outburst will be music to the ears of Switzerland, who can set up a possible quarter-final with England if they knock out the reigning champions in Berlin on Saturday.

Because make no mistake, Italy are spooked by Murat Yakin’s Switzerland. Two draws between these nations — including missed penalties by Italy’s Jorginho in each match — allowed the Swiss to finish above the Italians in their qualification group for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Italy were eliminated in the play-offs by North Macedonia and Switzerland reached the round of 16 in the finals.

Where Italy’s progress through the group in Germany this month was fraught, Switzerland’s was serene. The Swiss followed a comfortable opening win over Hungary with draws against Scotland and Germany.

Their qualification was rarely in doubt, whereas Italy needed Mattia Zaccagni’s 98th-minute equaliser to secure their passage. Without it, they would now be home.

‘Italy are a team who never die,’ said Switzerland midfielder Remo Freuler. ‘They are clearly favourites and they’re welcome to believe that. They beat us 3-0 during the group stages of Euro 2020 but I really believe we’ve learned from that. We went to the World Cup and they stayed at home. It will be a special game, one of the top three I’ve played in my Switzerland career.’

Yakin has a clear plan and his players follow his instructions to the letter. Compare that with Spalletti. So confident in his ideas during his club career, Spalletti suddenly seems uncertain of the best route to take.

Does he stick to the 3-5-2 that kept Federico Chiesa, Italy’s one proven match-winner, out of the starting side? Return to the 4-2-3-1/3-4-2-1 hybrid that delivered against Albania but led to embarrassment against Spain? Or come up with yet another system and cross his fingers?

If their team find a way past Slovakia, most England fans would rather face Switzerland than Italy. Should they look a little deeper, however, Italy might be preferable opposition, given the doubts with which Spalletti is wrestling.

All is not lost for Italy. They are on the kinder half of the draw and they have the mentality and tournament pedigree to go close again in Germany.

Perhaps playing on Saturday in Berlin — where Italy lifted the World Cup in 2006 — will provide inspiration. More than anything else, Italy might just need their coach to chill out a little.