Former Italy coach Luciano Spalletti has credited his successor Gennaro Gattuso with turning around their World Cup qualifying campaign after the Azzurri notched their third straight win under the former AC Milan midfielder.

Spalletti was sacked in June following a heavy defeat by Norway in qualifying, with former Milan and Napoli manager Gattuso then leading the Italians to two wins over Estonia and a victory against Israel.

"I trust Gattuso. I'm sure that, as he's already shown, he'll find the right solutions to keep this journey going and achieve what he wants, what he dreams of," Spalletti told reporters on Sunday.

"He's also adjusted a few things tactically in these last matches, because having the forwards closer together has given solutions, especially in games where we faced dif

See Full Page