Outclassed: Spalletti acknowledges Italy beaten up by Spain in one-sided heavyweight match up

De la Fuente: I think the Spanish players are the best in the world. We have wonderful prospects. But football can also be very cruel.

Italy manager Luciano Spalletti 

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti could not be clearer: Play like they did against Spain and his players will not retain the European Championship.

“They caused us problems beyond what the scoreline suggests and we can’t beat around the bush on that,” Spalletti said after his team’s 1-0 loss to the dominant Spanish on Thursday.