Former Roma and Inter Milan director Sabatini commented on Italy's 1-4 loss to Norway in his personal column in "Corriere dello Sport" and also talked in detail about Italy's World Cup prospects.

Comment on Italy 1-4 Norway game

"I am very frustrated with the result of yesterday's game. Now people will start to criticize Italian players comprehensively. However, they are actually very strong and must not lose their inner confidence."

"When I watched the game yesterday, when the score was still 1-0, I was actually quite happy. What's more, Esposi Tuo is an excellent center forward and his movements remind me of Savoldi. We should have held on to this score but ended up losing. I wanted this victory so much that we could have gone into the play-offs with our heads down."

It's unfair to criticize Gattuso

" I think it's unfair to criticize the national team coach now, he has given some positive signals in the first half. Gattuso is the kid I brought to Perugia when he was only thirteen years old. The most important thing now is that he should focus on the right things."

"That's all nonsense. It brings more injuries and pressure to the players in the club. Gattuso should go to the players personally and spend time with them to help them rebuild their confidence, because "playing to play" and "playing to win" are completely different things. I can already foresee those negative comments. "

Tonali, Donnarumma and others are top players

" Nowadays, creating a positive atmosphere for the national team seems to be an "outdated" thing, but this is exactly what we need. You can go to London and ask, is Calafio really not good? Go to Newcastle, what do they think of Tonali? Is Ma a top goalkeeper? I feel very embarrassed when I hear someone say, "Norway is better than Italy." Yes, they did perform better in that game. Nousa made our defense collapse, and Haaland just seemed to be playing another sport. But the real problem is that this national team did not show the "aura" of the national team. The way Spalletti was hired created an atmosphere of "wanderers", but the history of Italian football is glorious and profound. Spalletti's dismissal is a national shame, which limits the selection to a very small list. "Of course it is best to avoid Sweden in the play-offs. The players that play for the club, it gives them a sense of their identity and their history, and that's the case with Norway. I reiterate that I'm very sad that we went into the play-offs in this way, without holding on to a 1-0 lead, because victory is never in vain, it brings something deeper - emotions, awareness, self-identity - which need to be rebuilt from today."