Spalletti Picks His All-Time XI, Excluding National Team Players, and Unveils Shocking Omissions at the Sports Festival.
It`s no easy feat to condense thirty years of a coaching career into an ideal eleven players drawn on a whiteboard. Yet, Luciano Spalletti, during his interview at the Festival dello Sport, momentarily donned his coach`s hat. Armed with a mini-pitch and a marker, as if in a locker room, he outlined his career-best XI. Notably, this dream team excludes players from the Italian national squad. “It would be too straightforward, starting with Donnarumma,” he explained. After settling on a 4-2-3-1 formation, Spalletti embarked on a journey through his coaching stops – from Udine to Rome, from Saint Petersburg to Milan – selecting the eleven standouts from his entire career. The process wasn`t without its share of surprises and luxurious exclusions. Be prepared, because MVPs and top goal-scorers found themselves relegated to the bench.
Spalletti`s Ideal XI (4-2-3-1 Formation):
- Goalkeeper: Alisson / Wojciech Szczesny
- Right-Back: Giovanni Di Lorenzo
- Centre-Back: Kalidou Koulibaly
- Centre-Back: Cristian Chivu
- Left-Back: Marek Jankulovski
- Defensive Midfielder: Daniele De Rossi
- Defensive Midfielder: David Pizarro
- Left Winger: Mohamed Salah
- Attacking Midfielder (Trequartista): Francesco Totti
- Right Winger: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
- Striker: Edin Dzeko
