The Italian midfielder ahead of the match against Albania: “We want to make all Italians proud”
From the start or from the bench. Bryan Cristante it was a certainty for Roberto Mancini and it remains a certainty also for Luciano Spalletti in the European Championship in Germany which is about to begin. “We are excitedwe are ready, we are working hard – the Roma midfielder tells Uefa.com two days after the Azzurri’s debut against Albania – We had a great training camp, we prepared and trained well. We can’t wait to get started. The many fans make us feel more at home, we know that there are many Italians here, that there is a lot of passion. They demonstrated it to us at the camp but also every day, upon arrival, outside the hotel. We want to make them proud just as we want to make all the Italians who are at home proud. We will do our best for them. It’s nice to have so many people cheering for you, especially if you’re abroad. They make you feel at home. And so we will have to give 100% to make them proud.”
Cristante recalls the Euro 2020 experience: “It will always remain alive. It will be a beautiful memory for a lifetime, but football is like that. We always have to move forward. There is always new competition. We have reached the end of these four years as reigning champions. Now everything is put back on the field, but we want to show that we are still there among the strongest. Perhaps this is a slightly younger group, with fewer years on the field. But this is also strong, with an equally strong coach. We are working well, we are preparing it in the best possible way. We can’t wait to get started. We have a lot of excellent players in midfield, it’s always better to have more than less. There’s always good competition, we can all compete. We can all come in. We want to do well, we know that we only win by being well together, collaborating with each other. We know how to do it and we want to do it again.”
See also
euro 2024
Italy: Barella remains a mystery, but it’s tough for Albania
On theblue attack the Roma midfielder underlines: “We have many strong attackers, maybe they are not yet in the big teams, in the big ones. But Scamacca has shown that he can do well, Retegui he did well in Genoa this year. It was the first year in Europe and it’s not easy. I think we have a good attack, but we are covered in all positions. We have an excellent team, a very strong coach. We want to start well and demonstrate on the pitch that we are the reigning champions.”
Finally Cristante talks about Italy’s complicated group: “L’Albania it’s a strong team, as they all are in Europe. They are difficult to face, they have many players who play with us and against us in the league. They certainly know us well, they know how to deal with us and perhaps this is the biggest pitfall. However we know that if we give 100% and stay focused on the goal, we can win. Starting well becomes even more important in a group like this. All matches become fundamental: Spain and Croatia in recent years they have shown that they are great teams, but we have shown it too. Just as it is tough for us, it is tough for others too. We know it and we cannot afford missteps.”
See also
euro 2024
No protests or it will immediately be yellow: here are the new rules for Euro 2024
