BERLIN: Champions Italy take on Switzerland in the Euro 2024 last 16 on Saturday after making it through the group phase by the skin of their teeth.
The Azzurri needed a 98th minute equaliser from relative unknown Mattia Zaccagni against Croatia to secure second spot in Group B, five points behind tournament standard-setters Spain.
Coach Luciano Spalletti said his team deserved to progress but undermined those words by criticising players for a timid performance in their final group game.
The 65-year-old coach also lashed out against media and anybody putting pressure on his side, with his performative outrage perhaps an attempted distraction from his inability to get the two-time winners firing.
At times contradicting himself, Spalletti also claimed his team had been improving through the tournament.
"Thus far everything they've done has been getting better, from my perspective," he said.
However to the outside world his new-look Italy seem unconvincing and a significant downgrade on the side that triumphed at Euro 2020 – where they beat Switzerland 3-0 in the group phase.
Both goalscorers that day, Manuel Locatelli with a brace and Ciro Immobile, were left out of the squad by Spalletti, along with midfielder Marco Verratti.
Key defenders Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini have retired and Juventus forward Federico Chiesa has been far from his best.
Lazio forward Zaccagni, 29, insisted his team could take a step forward in the knock-out rounds.
"Now we're just thinking about preparing for a very important match against Switzerland," he told UEFA's website on Thursday.
"We have always known that the national team often suffers and then comes out in the moments that count. And now we expect just that from ourselves."
Murat Yakin's Switzerland boast several Serie A players in their squad, including Inter Milan goalkeeper Yann Sommer and Bologna trio Dan Ndoye, Remo Freuler and Michel Aebischer.
"We have already seen many videos of Switzerland – they are a very compact team, they play for each other and it will take a great match to beat them," added Zaccagni.
Italy will be without the suspended Riccardo Calafiori but Zaccagni says he is ready to play despite hurting his ribs under a pile of jubilant players celebrating his stunning late goal.
Questions remain over Italy's best set-up, with Spalletti changing shape against Croatia, while holding midfielder Jorginho has struggled in particular.
Striker Mateo Retegui worked hard against Croatia but did not convince either, just as Gianluca Scamacca failed to in their opening 2-1 win over Albania and 1-0 defeat by Spain.
In years past Switzerland, who also pipped Italy to qualification to the last World Cup, would be looked upon as a favourable opponent but they showed against Germany in their current shape they can threaten any team.
They went through Group A unbeaten, with Germany needing a 92nd minute goal to earn a 1-1 draw against the Swiss in the final group game.
That result may have been a blessing in disguise as it knocked Switzerland into second place and into what is being seen as the easier half of the draw – Germany, Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium are on the other side.
Switzerland proved at Euro 2020 they can put the cat among the pigeons, knocking out Kylian Mbappe's France on penalties in the last 16 before Spain returned the favour in the quarter-finals.
That victory will give them confidence to try and equal their best ever finish in the tournament by reaching the last eight.
"Regarding the round of 16, we know how to win, but we also know how to lose it," Freuler told UEFA.
"We need an even better performance than in the three group games. Saturday has to be our best performance in recent years."
The winners will face England or Slovakia in the quarter-finals.