Who Is Luciano Spalletti? Breaking Down His Tactical Philosophy

Luciano Spalletti has been sacked from his head coach role at the Italy national football team and will leave the role after the Moldova match on June 9. This comes after a series of poor performances, including a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Norway in their most recent FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Spalletti joined the national team in 2023, and the Azzuri faithful across the globe heaped faith on their new manager, as he entered the national team fresh from a major club-level success. However, before completing two years at the helm, the 66-year-old has to step down. Here, in this article, we will look at his life, career, tactics, and potential prospects.

Luciano Spalletti was born in Certaldo, Italy, on March 7, 1959. He played professional football for some time, however, not for big Italian clubs, but rather teams like Castelfiorentino, Virtus Entella, Spezia, Viareggio, and Empoli, acting as the caretaker manager for the latter in his final year.

In 1994, he retired from the sport, but soon joined Empoli’s youth setup. It took him just a year to make his way into the senior team as its manager, and he spent three seasons managing 114 games. Post that, he took charge of numerous Italian sides like Sampdoria, Venezia, Udinese, and Ancona, before returning to Udinese again in 2002. This marked a major return in his career, and he went on to make him one of the best managers in Italian football. After Udinese, he managed big clubs like Roma across two spells, Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia, and Inter Milan and Napoli in Italy.

Luciano Spalletti Tactics and Style of Play

Let’s dive deep into Luciano Spalletti tactics and playing style. Spalletti usually deploys a 3-5-2 formation, and he did the same with the Italian national team, too. His teams try to play swift football, with two centre forwards adding more threat to the opposition defences.

Luciano Spalletti Formation

Do you know about Luciano Spalletti Formation? It is the 3-5-2 formation, which Spalletti uses to bring more depth to both attack, defence, and also the flanks. Although a three-man backline, he often tends to shift to a back-five by retreating Federico Dimarco and Andrea Cambiaso while defending, or even a 3-6-1 out of possession.

The Core Principles

• Structure is a very important aspect of his formation. Unlike Arsene Wenger, who always preferred a 4-4-2 which covered the entire ground, Spalletti focuses on a compact structure. If we consider his Italy side, we will see how he uses three top-notch defenders like Ricardo Calafiori, Alessandro Bastoni, and even Diego Coppola and Gioavni Di Lorenzo to safeguard his palace. Although Calafiori has been missing in recent times, his presence means Spalletti has an attacking option; for example, how he used the Arsenal defender during the 2024 Euros.
• The midfield is flat, and here’s the magic about it. Nicolo Barella and Nicolo Rovella act as the two holding midfielders, with Sandro Tonali doing all the dirty work. This highlights his desire for a swift middle third, which can construct fluid transitions.
• Very few managers in modern football use two centre forwards. Spalletti is one of them, but recent trends have shown how he has placed his faith in Giacomo Raspadori, who operates just behind the striker, often adding as one of the midfielders while defending. Up front, he prefers a goal poacher like Mateo Retegui, or even Moise Kean, players who can score under dire conditions.
• High line and high press are two of his mantras, but this style didn’t look convincing on most occasions when deployed in Italy.

Key Tactical Traits

• Long-term visionary: Luciano Spalletti is not for the short term. It has been proven that if he gets ample time and seasons, he will shine, like he did at Roma or Zenit St. Petersburg, where he won three and four trophies, respectively.
• Experimental: This is not exactly a trait, but he doesn’t shy away from taking risks. Since taking charge of the Italy national team, he introduced several new players who were not well-known. An example can be Samuele Ricci or Diego Coppola, who were never in the European media’s daily limelight but were still chosen by him for their club-level performance.

Luciano Spalletti Trophies and Achievements

Spalletti has also been a five-time UEFA Champions League and four-time UEFA Europa League participant, but has never tasted continental success.

Tactical Comparison: Napoli vs Italy National Team

While managing a national team is way different than a club, Luciano Spalletti mastered the latter and should have received more time for the former. A national team cannot hire new players from different countries or continents, but has to rely on the pedigree at hand.

At Napoli: Reshaping the club

• Dominating force: Spalletti was regarded in high esteem at Naples due to his heroics with the local club. He spent just two seasons at Napoli, but converted them into a dominating force, something which has been carried forward and is now in the hands of Antonio Conte.

• Winning mentality: He managed Napoli for 729 days across 96 matches and delivered 62 wins and just 18 losses. The rest of the fixtures ended in a draw. His team ended third in the first season, but won the competition next term, and that too, with a 16-point gap over second-placed Lazio.
• Created history: It was only after the 1989-90 season that Napoli won the Serie A once again, and Spalletti’s tactical dominance in the league was enough for a national team call-up.

In Italy: Struggle

• Chaos everywhere: Spalletti used 47 players in his two years in charge, a number which is significantly more than his last three coaching stints at Napoli, Inter, and Roma. This shows there was a lack of continuity, and the manager had to constantly make permutations to fetch a proper combination. This didn’t work wonders, as in 23 games his team managed to win just 11, losing and drawing six apiece.

Future Prospects: What’s next for Luciano Spalletti?

The Italian manager will manage the national team against Moldova, which will be his last for the country. As of now, there are no reports or rumours of him being linked to any other football club, but at 66, he might fancy a move to Saudi Arabia, which has been a hotbed for European heavyweights. Moreover, with Simone Inzaghi recently switching from Inter to Al-Hilal, it will not be surprising if the Saudi Pro League comes calling.

Another possibility might be that the 66-year-old opts to continue in Italy itself. With Cristian Chivu leaving Parma to join Inter, the Crusaders would be on the lookout for a new manager. They finished 16th in the Serie A last term, and perhaps handing the responsibility to Spalletti would be the best thing, considering how successful he has been at Napoli. However, if we speak about national teams, perhaps a few Asian countries would want a manager of Spalletti’s experience and class to reshape their dynamics.