Italy coach Giampiero Ventura didn’t hide from the critics, admitting his Azzurri side put in an awful second half performance during their 1-1 draw with Macedonia on Friday.
The result means Italy have not secured their place in the playoffs, as they need Bosnia and Herzegovina not to win against Belgium on Saturday to reach the second round.
Ventura stated that while his side were good in the opening frame, they struggled mightily after the restart.
“We lost our train of thought from the first half, as in the opening 45 minutes we had two chances and conceded no shots on goal,” he stated as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“In the second half our fitness fell and we were no longer thinking clearly.
“It’s impossible to think that you will bring home a result without attacking, so it’s possible to conceded on the first shot you face.”
Italy have struggled mightily since falling 3-0 to Spain, but Ventura believes each match presents it’s own set of challenges.
“We have to look at each match individually,” he added. “We’ll see in Albania, but in the meantime we can say that we are officially second.
“If we reach the playoffs we will battle while hoping that four or five of our players will play more for their club.”
Jeers rained down from the stands in Turin on Friday, and Ventura was not pleased with the response from the Stadio Olimpico faithful.
“Italy must never be jeered,” he stated. “It represents all of us, even if the second half was not good.
“When there isn’t anything happening the crowd must help the team to respond.
“We must now try to get all of our players back and try to play some serious football in order to reach our goals.”
Italy’s next match is against Albania on Monday.
