Gennaro Gattuso has admitted that Italy must work on their defence, after they shipped four goals in their previous outing against Israel last month. 

The Azzurri sit second in World Cup qualifying Group I, six points off leaders Norway, albeit with a game in hand.

With games against Estonia and Israel scheduled for Saturday and next Tuesday, respectively, Italy will be hoping they can edge close to qualifying for next year's tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

After a delayed start to their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign due to their involvement in the Nations League, Italy have conceded seven goals in just four qualifiers so far. 

In their last 10 internationals, Italy have picked the ball out of their net on 17 occasions, having conceded just 7 goals in the 10 games preceding that run.

"A coach must be able to do it all, I have to set my ego aside and do what is best for the team," Gattuso said in a press conference.

"I don’t really like a three-man defence much, but that doesn’t matter, I will always choose the best system for these players.

"The situation has improved a lot from last month, as the players have more minutes in their legs."

Italy have failed to qualify for the last two consecutive World Cups, and they could be on course to miss out on their third successive showpiece tournament, given third-place Israel are also on nine points.

"In recent years, most defences have worked on reference points rather than sectors, so it’s a different type of training and you need to work on it," Gattuso added.

"We must try to find a middle ground, this is modern football. Playing this way, man-marking is more difficult."