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GELSEKIRCHEN, Germany — Italy coach Luciano Spalletti could not be clearer after his team's 1-0 loss to Spain at the European Championship. Play like that and his players will not retain the title. Spalletti said "they caused us problems beyond what the scoreline suggests and we can't beat around the bush on that." It was billed as the first heavyweight matchup of Euro 2024 but there was a huge difference in quality as Spalletti pointed out. Spalletti is attempting to change Italy's playing style by pushing his players to control games more and dominate possession rather than rely on defensive strength that has characterized the best Italy teams down the years. He isn't ready to give up on that.
