Carlo Ancelotti says it will be difficult for Italy to stop Jude Bellingham

In an interview with Italian radio, ‘Radio Anch’io Sport’, Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti was on air to talk about the stat of Italian football. He was asked about Italy’s massive gave tomorrow vs England in Euro 2024 qualifiers, as well as the current corruption scandal in Italy.

Italy vs England

“The game against England will be a match that will evaluate the state of Italy at the moment,” Ancelotti said. “Luciano Spalletti’s new cycle has started well, but tomorrow he has an important match that will tell us where Italy is at.

“And how to stop Bellingham? It’s a good question. He’s in a great moment. Football is a team sport. Bellingham will surely do his thing for England and Italy will respond with their qualities, with their players, with their characteristics...”

Scandal in Italian football

“It was a serious oversight on the part of the players who have fallen into this gambling system and they need to be treated,” Ancelotti explaind. “On a scientific level, gambling addiction is a disease.

“That said, for me it is an individual oversight and involving all of Italian football seems a bit exaggerated to me. Justice will take its course, to me it seems like an oversight by some guys who broke a fairly clear sporting rule: you cannot be betting. For those who dedicate themselves to this, it is very clear. They warn you before each season in all countries that it is prohibited.

“The responsibility that young footballers have today is different from what I had. Now the young footballer has a whole structure behind him, between family members and agents who manage his career. For all of them the responsibility increases. Most of them are serious young people, professionals, who know very well what rules they must respect.”

And finally, what is the different in youth development between Spanish and Italian football?

“In Spanish football they encourage you more to bring in young players from the youth academy than in Italian football,” Ancelotti said. “It is also a question of cycles, of better generations compared to others. Italy now suffers from a lack of young forwards, but we just have to wait a little.”