When a spontaneous round of applause erupted following Luciano Spalletti’s departure from yesterday’s press conference – where he announced his dismissal – most people in the room must have felt that, even though a change at the helm of the Azzurri was necessary, nobody wanted it to end like this.

Spalletti’s strained relationship with the press was hardly the main issue during his tenure as Italy’s coach, but it was symptomatic of the tense atmosphere surrounding the Azzurri camp – one that made you feel something was just not right.

During his time in charge, the Italian press often picked on him and criticized him. They smelled blood as the coach grew increasingly frustrated, appearing nervous and irritable. But yesterday, Spalletti only briefly touched on that aspect. The core of his speech was an honest, honorable, and brutally frank acceptance of responsibility.

Luciano Spalletti made no excuses: “I am fully responsible for this,” he said.

Resentment could have been expected on Spalletti’s part, and indeed, yesterday’s press conference was another ordeal for him. He sighed, grumbled at the press’s questions, and struggled for words – until his final, theatrical exit.

But he didn’t point fingers. The final question—the one that made him break down and storm out—was: “Did you feel betrayed by anybody?”

“No, I don’t feel betrayed,” he said, and instead began listing the people he wanted to thank, until emotion overwhelmed him.

Spalletti stood alone, a wounded man with a shattered dream in his hands. He didn’t ask for compassion. But we’ll give it to him nonetheless, because one can’t help but feel for him.

Picture this: You take one of the most accomplished coaches in Italy, fresh off winning the Scudetto in spectacular fashion – ending a 33-year drought at Napoli – and hand him the dream job: leading the Azzurri. For a patriotic, principled man like Spalletti, Italy was truly a dream job. And, make no mistake, he gave it everything he had.

Then, nearly two years into the role, with a disastrous Euro 2024 campaign behind you and after miserably failing a key test on the road to the upcoming World Cup, you must accept – without making excuses – that things have not gone the way you hoped and have now reached a breaking point.

Spalletti said he wanted to continue, but it must have been clear to him that his cause was lost. The abysmal performance against Norway – with the Azzurri showing no signs of reaction after conceding three goals in just 45 minutes – revealed a team that didn’t know what to do. They were lost. They needed a reset – mentally and then tactically.

“Luciano, we can’t continue like this,” FIGC President Gabriele Gravina reportedly told him during the frank conversation at Coverciano, the Azzurri’s headquarters, which preceded his dismissal.

Spalletti resignedly accepted the inevitable and even chose to forgo his salary, turning what would have been a sacking into a mutual contract termination. Money isn’t an issue for Spalletti, but still, his decision shouldn’t be taken for granted – he was entitled to remain on the FIGC’s payroll and demand every cent owed to him. He didn’t do that – and that speaks volumes about how much he genuinely cared for the job.

Tonight, he will sit on Italy’s bench for the very last time as the team faces Moldova in the second World Cup Qualifier. Italy not only need to win – they must do so by a wide margin to start their near-impossible chase of Norway on the right foot.

Let’s hope the players – who, even though Spalletti took all the blame, are just as responsible for the mess the Nazionale is in – will show signs of reaction and honor him with a performance worthy of the jersey they wear.

Luciano Spalletti deserves that. And they need to man up.