Kay Murray

Part of the issue is the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Back in our day, you knew you'd go on international break, somebody was going to go back to their home country, do an interview, and a week or two later...

that that interview would filter through and it'd be criticizing whether there's a club or his teammates whatever it is roll the clock forward was it 30 40 years and and nothing's changed really despite social media and the immediacy of it players go away to international duty and do interviews in their native languages with reporters maybe they're comfortable with and and these things come out um but but again to steve's point um i do not disagree with a single thing cuccarella says

I really don't.

And it's true.

And the other aspect to this is, well, we can sit here and say, well, listen, as a player, you really shouldn't be talking about this publicly, which is right.

If you are a little bit frustrated and you're thinking, I can engineer a move here, you say what you want.

Because to Stevie's point, players are on contracts, you move them on.

You know, that's what he's looking for.

There are ways, again, that players kind of go about their business in terms of, you know, I'm kind of pushing for a move.

These are the kind of things you do almost every single time.

And why were you finding fault with Italy over the last, over that period, three World Cups?

They somehow managed to win at Euros in between all that as well.

So it speaks to, I guess, talent at one level, but a failing on another in terms of qualifying.

Now, from an Italian perspective, I always feel, you know, we could talk about the overcoaching, but then you see the natural talent shine through with the Spanish national team, with the French national team.

I understand Don's point about athletes and with the English team and how it relates to the Premier League.

Now, Italian football, again, is not enjoying its heyday.

I'll put that as nicely as I possibly can.

And you just wonder how that affects the identity of this national team.

Because, well, OK, fair enough, in 2024, they come up against a once-in-a-generational Norway team who were just absolutely outstanding.