Luciano Spalletti, the head coach of Italy, reaffirms that Jorginho will continue as the designated penalty taker for the national team despite the midfielder’s miss against North Macedonia.
Jorginho’s recent three consecutive penalty misses, matching a record from 1986, Italy triumphed 5-2.
Their upcoming match against Ukraine will determine their Euro 2024 qualification.
Despite calls for Jorginho’s removal from penalty duty, Spalletti expresses unwavering trust in the midfielder for spot-kick responsibilities.
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He said:
‘Jorginho should be congratulated [for his performance].
He did not angle the ball very well but the goalkeeper made a good save.’
‘He remains a special penalty taker for Italy.
I told him that he will take the next penalty as well and he said yes.’
Speaking as a pundit for the match, Italy’s 1982 World Cup winner Beppe Bergomi criticised Jorginho’s penalty technique and urged the midfielder to step aside for the next spot kick.
‘With all due respect, Jorginho has to bow down to the evidence here and admit penalties are no longer for him,’ Bergomi said.
‘That style of taking penalties just does not work anymore and today we got confirmation beyond doubt.
‘We can appreciate his character and mental strength in going up there again but I would say enough is enough now.
He has to go to the coach and say let someone else take the next one.’
