Italy's World Cup Nightmare: Gattuso Gutted, De Laurentiis Demands Serie A Shrink and Player Pay

Picture this: it's Tuesday night, and Italy – four-time World Cup winners – are staring down the barrel of another humiliating exit. They go down on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina, ranked a lowly 65th in the world, after the Bosnians peppered the Azzurri with 31 shots. Gennaro Gattuso, the snarling midfield terrier from 2006's triumph, is the gaffer in the dugout, and his post-match verdict? It 'hurts a lot'. No kidding, Rino.

This isn't just any old loss. It's the third consecutive World Cup qualification failure for Italy. Last time they graced the global stage? 2014, when they flopped against Costa Rica and Uruguay. Roberto Baggio's infamous Pasadena airshot in 1994 remains their last meaningful World Cup kick. Fast-forward 32 years, and it's Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante blasting over the bar. Déjà vu, or what? As Lorenzo Bettoni noted in Football Italia, it's like Italian football's stuck in a time loop of spot-kick torture.

De Laurentiis Drops the Bombshell: 16-Team Serie A or Bust

Enter Aurelio De Laurentiis, Napoli's larger-than-life president, who's been banging on about this for a decade. Speaking on Radio CRC mere hours after the debacle – via insights from Stats Perform on OneFootball – he didn't hold back. 'Too many games are destroying our players,' he roared. His fix? Slash Serie A from 20 teams to 16, scrap those dubious Supercups in Saudi Arabia, and give the lads proper rest.

Why? So the national team gets breathing room to train properly. 'Our players are a heritage we pay for,' ADL thundered. And get this: clubs should get compensation for releasing stars to Azzurri duty, plus full insurance if they come back crocked. It's a pub-brawl worthy argument – clubs footing the bill for international call-ups? Bold as brass.

De Laurentiis isn't one for faffing about. Italian football's 'tactical obsession' isn't cutting it against slicker nations, he claims. Everything's stagnant, everyone's muddling through. Time for change, or keep repeating history like a bad Calcio rerun.

Pressure Mounts: Gravina Clings On, Malagò Lurks

FIGC chief Gabriele Gravina is digging in, refusing to quit amid howls for his head. But whispers are growing about Giovanni Malagò, ex-CONI president, as a saviour. De Laurentiis is all-in: 'He's a pro who contributes, with real humanity.' Stick him in tomorrow, says ADL, and Italy could be World Cup-ready in a couple of years.

Gattuso, meanwhile, was part of that 2006 knockout-winning side – their last World Cup scalp. Andrea Pirlo, his old midfield mate, was in the 2014 squad that'll feel ancient history by 2026 in the USA. Will Italy even sniff a ticket? With Bosnia celebrating like they'd won the thing (they stormed the press room!), it's a grim watch.

As The Independent via OneFootball summed up, this echoes the 2022 North Macedonia shocker – another ex-Yugoslav minnow doing the damage. Italy had 30 shots then but still bottled it. Now, outgunned at home. Ouch.

Blimey, lads, it's like Italy's allergic to World Cups. De Laurentiis' radical reset might be the kick up the arse needed – fewer games, fitter players, paid protection. Or will Serie A bosses scoff and stick to the status quo? Pour another pint; this saga's far from over. Forza Italia? More like Forza Change.