Calafiori: "I've spoken more with Gattuso than with my mother in recent months"

After Brazil, which triumphed five times, Italy is the joint-second most successful national team in FIFA World Cup history, alongside Germany, having won four WC trophies.

Nevertheless, ever since their last success in 2006, the Azzurri's results in the prestigious tournament have been way below their reputation.

In 2010 and 2014, they were eliminated in the group stage, and then they failed to qualify for the following two World Cups in Russia and Qatar.

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The third consecutive fiasco would be a genuine disaster for the renowned national team, and the pressure ahead of Italy's UEFA play-off semi-final clash against Northern Ireland in Bergamo (22.45) is immense.

One of their best defenders, Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori, doesn't hide it.

“Pressure is there; we can’t avoid it. We know how important this game is. We try not to think about it. I’m happy to play this game and this is the message I want to send."

Calafiori representing Italy (©Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)

"The other side of the coin is that it might go badly, but we want to think positively, because this week can bring happiness and send us to the World Cup in America, that’s the only thing I think about," the 23-year-old stated via Yahoo Sports.

He also touched on his relationship with the Azzurri head coach, Gennaro Gattuso, and revealed an interesting detail about their communication that perfectly captures how much everyone around the team wants to succeed.

“I really appreciated the coach’s attitude. I’ve spoken more with him than with my mother in recent months. I’m pretty shy, but he was good at staying close to me because there was a moment when I was out."

"That dinner was nice, we spent time together and it was nice to do so. We didn’t have a chance to train together these past months, but the most important thing is spending time together," Calafiori stated before disclosing who picked up the tab for dinner.

“He [Gattuso] paid for it [the dinner]! It felt like a night out with friends. We spoke about football and other things. Buffon and Leo [Bonucci] were there too, and they spoke to us about their experience. Then we spoke a bit about the game, there’s nothing more to add,” the defender concluded.

If the pressure on the players is massive, one cannot even imagine how overwhelming it must be for the manager, Gattuso.

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After all the great names who led Italy, from Arrigo Sacchi and Cesare Maldini to Giovanni Trapattoni, Marcelo Lippi, and Roberto Mancini, the expectations are the highest possible, and if something goes wrong, the coach is the first to pay the price.

Gattuso is well aware of that and admits that this game is the most important in his managerial career.

"I'm still young and I'm carrying the weight of an entire country. I won't deny that in the last seven months, hearing 'Sir, take us to the World Cup' every day... the pressure is enormous."

"But I've been used to it for many years, I've done this job all my life: without a doubt, it's the most important match of my career," the 48-year-old tactician said via Marca.

If the Azzurri beat Northern Ireland tonight, they'll face the winner of the clash between Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the road on Tuesday, March 31, in the decisive qualifying match.

2026 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION (UEFA)

Thursday

Path A

22.45: (1.33) Italy (5.25) Northern Ireland (12.0)

22.45: (1.85) Wales (3.50) Bosnia & Herzegovina (5.00)

Path B

22.45: (1.72) Poland (3.50) Albania (5.30)

22.45: (3.25) Ukraine (3.35) Sweden (2.40)

Path C

20.00: (1.48) Turkey (4.80) Romania (7.00)

22.45: (2.30) Slovakia (3.20) Kosovo* (3.60)

Path D

22.45: (2.00) Czech Republic (3.50) Republic of Ireland (4.10)

22.45: (1.23) Denmark (6.00) North Macedonia (14.0)

***odds are subject to change***