Gattuso calls Italy-Northern Ireland playoff "most important match of my career"
Italy faces Northern Ireland on Wednesday in World Cup playoff semifinal at Bergamo. Coach Gattuso says he feels the country's weight on his shoulders.
4:06 PM
Italy will play Northern Ireland on Wednesday in the first leg of a World Cup playoff semifinal, with coach Gennaro Gattuso describing the match as the most important of his managerial career.
The fixture takes place at Bergamo at 20:45 local time. A victory would advance Italy to face the winner of Wales versus Bosnia in the second leg.
Gattuso said he is experiencing significant pressure ahead of the match. "I feel the entire country on my shoulders," he told reporters. "For seven months, people have been asking me to bring us to the World Cup. The pressure is there, but it's pressure I've been accustomed to for many years."
The coach acknowledged difficulty sleeping before the match. "I sleep with some pills," Gattuso said. "Given my age, I have to thank our staff, otherwise at 4 a.m. I open my eyes and look like a bat," he added, speaking in jest.
Gattuso emphasized the stakes of the playoff. A failure to qualify would mark Italy's third consecutive absence from the World Cup. "This would be the final blow for Italian football," he said, according to reports.
Despite the pressure, Gattuso reported a positive atmosphere within the squad. "There is good morale inside the team. These have been three beautiful days, with a very good atmosphere," he said. "Tomorrow we know what we're playing for, but we arrive charged, also feeling responsibility and tension."
Marcello Lippi, Italy's coach during the 2006 World Cup victory, offered public support to Gattuso. "We'll make it, Rino. We are all with you and we all go to the World Cup together," Lippi said. "Rino has a good squad and will do everything to not miss an appointment that has been absent for too long."
Lippi and Gattuso share a long history. During the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin, Gattuso physically grabbed Lippi to prevent him from resigning after lifting the trophy, urging him to stay. Lippi ultimately departed the role, exhausted by personal attacks.
Gattuso said Lippi's words moved him emotionally. The coach noted that he remains young and committed to the task ahead, despite the weight of expectation from the Italian public and media.