Numbers explain Gattuso’s Retegui decision for Italy World Cup play-off Final
Mateo Retegui is the Italy outfield player with the most minutes under Gennaro Gattuso, which helps explain why the coach is not expected to change the Azzurri’s attack in the World Cup play-off Final against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Italy will visit Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup play-off Final on Tuesday, March 31.
Retegui a regular Italy starter under Gattuso
Multiple sources in Italy claim that Gattuso won’t change the XI that beat Northern Ireland 2-0 in the semis last week. This means Moise Kean and Mateo Retegui will get the nod up front.
The latter has been criticised for missing a big chance in the second half of the Northern Ireland match, just minutes before Sandro Tonali’s opener.
Francesco Pio Esposito, on the other hand, had a big impact as a substitute, so the Inter talent was expected to challenge Retegui for a starting spot.
As TWM highlights, Gattuso’s trust in Retegui is well-explained by the striker’s stats under the new Italy coach.
Retegui, in fact, is the outfield player with the most minutes played since September, when Gattuso made his debut as La Nazionale’s boss.
Since then, Retegui has played 525 minutes with the Azzurri, twice as many as Kean.
Retegui, a former Atalanta and Genoa star, has scored five goals and provided four assists in seven appearances under Gattuso.
Pio Esposito made his senior Italy debut under Gattuso this past September and has collected six appearances, two as a starter, and scored three goals.