Gattuso explains why Italian strikers are struggling for goals in Serie A
Quick summary
Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso said the defensive style in Serie A helps explain why Italian forwards have produced modest goal totals this season. Gianluca Scamacca and Moise Kean are the top Italian scorers in the league with only eight goals each.
Full article
Attributed to Football ItaliaAtalanta’s Gianluca Scamacca and Fiorentina’s Moise Kean are the best Italian scorers in Serie A so far this season, but have only netted eight times, and Azzurri coach Gennaro Gattuso has a clear view on Italian forwards’ struggles in the league.
With eight goals scored each , Scamacca and Kean are the best Italian scorers in Serie A so far this season.
Both players were part of the Azzurri squad for the World Cup play-off earlier this month, but the apparent poor form of Italian strikers in the domestic league has been a concern throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
Questioned about the matter during a recent press conference at Coverciano, Gattuso said: “Abroad, they don’t defend as we do. This is the difference. The way we stay on the pitch, the defensive methods are different here.”
MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 16: Gennaro Gattuso, Head Coach of Italy, looks on prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Norway at San Siro Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Only Brazil (five) have won more World Cups than Italy (four) in history, yet the Azzurri have not played in the competition since 2014 and have not played a World Cup knockout game since 2006 when they went on to lift the trophy with legendary players on the field, including strikers Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti, Filippo Inzaghi and Luca Toni.
The Azzurri beat Northern Ireland 2-0 in the World Cup play-off semifinal on March 26, but lost the Final to Bosnia and Herzegovina, failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time.
Due to their history and status, the Azzurri were the favourites to progress to the World Cup, but the same was true in 2017 and 2022 when the Nazionale lost in the play-off to Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively.
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Regardless of the poor form of Italian strikers in Serie A, Italy’s goal production under Gattuso has been nothing short of impressive as the Azzurri have bagged 19 times in six games under the new coach.
Mateo Retegui, the 2024-25 Serie A leading scorer, now playing in the Saudi Pro League for Al Qadsiah, is the best Italian scorer under Gattuso, with five goals in eight appearances, and his prolific link-up with Fiorentina star Kean has surely been among the best news for Italy during Gattuso’s reign.
Italy, however, also needed to keep things tight at the back, as always in the Azzurri tradition, but La Nazionale have conceded ten times in eight games under Gattuso, with their 4-1 loss against Norway at San Siro in November surely seen as a huge alarm bell ahead of World Cup play-off, where all the pressure was on the Azzurri.
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What happened
Speaking at Coverciano, Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso argued that Serie A's defensive structure makes life harder for strikers than leagues abroad. The article highlights that Atalanta's Gianluca Scamacca and Fiorentina's Moise Kean are the top Italian scorers in Serie A with eight goals apiece, underlining a broader concern about domestic attacking output. It also notes that Italy still scored freely at times under Gattuso, with Mateo Retegui and Kean combining well for the national team. However, Italy's recent failure to qualify for the World Cup keeps scrutiny high on both attacking production and the overall level of the Azzurri.
Chance analysis
This matters mainly as a tactical-context signal rather than a direct squad update. Gattuso is framing low Italian striker output as a league-environment issue, which suggests raw Serie A goal totals may underrate some forwards in international or different tactical settings. For prediction models, it is more useful as context on player evaluation than as an immediate match-changing event.
Likely limited immediate market impact, but it may slightly soften negative interpretations of Italy-linked forwards' domestic scoring numbers.
Do not over-penalize Italian forwards solely for modest Serie A scoring totals; adjust for league defensive environment and role context.