Luciano Spalletti admitted he "did not make a difference" during his time as Italy manager and acknowledged that the team struggled in their 2-0 win over Moldova on Monday.
Spalletti took charge of his 24th and final game as the Azzurri's boss in Reggio Emilia after sensationally announcing his sacking in a pre-match press conference last week.
Italy suffered a dismal 3-0 defeat to Norway in Oslo on Friday in what represented their first game of qualifying in the UEFA section.
The 66-year-old was appointed as the successor to Roberto Mancini following his surprise resignation back in August 2023, having led Napoli to the Serie A title earlier that year.
Spalletti oversaw a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign with Italy's defence of the trophy ending at the last-16 stage to Switzerland after they scraped through the group phase.
Overall, he ended his time with the Azzurri having won 12 of his 24 matches at the helm (D6 L6), with his team averaging 1.75 points-per-match.Â
Spalletti did, however, get a winning send-off with Giacomo Raspadori and Andrea Cambiaso scoring in either half to seal the win against Moldova, though it was from comfortable for the hosts.Â
Ion Nicolaescu thought he had put Moldova ahead inside the opening 10 minutes, only to see the goal ruled out for offside after a VAR review confirmed the decision.Â
Sergiu Clescenco's continued to threaten throughout, but Italy's quality in the final third overpowered them. The Azzurri registered an expected goals (xG) total of 2.63 from their 28 shots to their opponents' 1.33 from their seven attempts.Â
"It's true, we struggled tonight too. However, there are too many components behind this. And we confirmed what we'd seen before,"Â Spalletti told RAI Sport.
"I maintained this group, but I found them really fatigued at this stage of the season.
"Perhaps seeking someone in better physical shape might've helped, but the fact we have 25 players all a bit like this means the campaign really took it out on everyone.
"One of the biggest problems was playing the very first game, the most difficult of the group, in Oslo, right at the end of the season. It's bad luck with the draw.
"This will be a very different team in much better shape come September, so the timing didn't help us."
Italy's search for a new manager is underway, with a new face set to appear on the touchline when they play their next World Cup qualifiers in September.Â
"We certainly are not leaving my successor a sense of enthusiasm, despite the positive response from the fans," Spalletti added.Â
"The coach has to make the difference, the players have to make the difference, and unfortunately I did not make the difference."
