Italy Coach Quesada Frustrated by All Blacks Defeat but Sees Room for Improvement
Italy's 29-11 defeat to New Zealand on Saturday was a frustrating one for coach Gonzalo Quesada, despite his recognition of the improvements in his side's performance. After a disappointing loss to Argentina and a narrow victory over Georgia, Italy showed more resilience against the All Blacks, especially in defense. Quesada highlighted the positive attitude of his players, who fought hard and showed significant passion throughout the match. However, their attacking play left much to be desired, with handling errors and missed opportunities limiting their ability to create scoring chances.
"The attitude of the boys who kept us in the game against the All Blacks and put in a lot of passion, a lot of desire, was very positive," Quesada said. Despite this, he was frustrated by the lack of attacking fluency. Italy's mistakes meant they couldn’t capitalize on quality possession, and their only real chances came from the driving maul—a tactic that proved less effective against New Zealand's strong defense.
While Quesada acknowledged the improvements made over the three autumn internationals, he also emphasized that Italy still has a lot of work to do, particularly in their attack. "In defense, a good game, good strategic management, but we were not able to play much in attack," he explained. Italy's inability to apply consistent pressure in New Zealand's 22-yard area was a key issue, with Quesada lamenting that they couldn’t exploit better opportunities when they had the ball.
Despite the frustration, Quesada remains hopeful. "There has been an improvement," he said, recognizing the team's progress, even if the performance against the All Blacks didn’t quite match their potential. As Italy prepares for the future, refining their attacking game will be crucial to competing at the highest level.
Italy Coach Quesada Frustrated by All Blacks Defeat but Sees Room for Improvement
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