On Donnarumma and Acerbi
“Donnarumma? If he leaves PSG, I think he will go to an even stronger team. Then he will have to be good, in Italy we have many strong goalkeepers like Vicario and Meret and it’s nice to deal with champions of this type. Who in Acerbi’s place? Mancini has experience, but so does Bastoni he can be a leader and Buongiorno and Calafiori have the makings of those who want to get to play at great levels. But my whole team is very serious. We will be what we want to be“, continues Spalletti.
On Scamacca, Retegui and Raspadori
“We can also play with three at the back, but always in an attacking way. But we can also play with two strikers because Scamacca and Retegui are very strong and Raspadori can also play as a sub forward. I can play with both positions (three or four defense) but what counts is the positions on the pitch and whether we can control the game. In the last period he has grown a lot and we congratulated him. He is complete, he can do everything. Then he still has to compare himself with his performance and that of others. If I attack the goal ten times I receive five balls, if I do it twenty times I receive ten… Stretcher? You also listen to his feelings, he has already had a similar problem and in that case he developed the race that he had to do. What matters is the doctors’ opinion because footballers always want to play“, concludes Spalletti.
On Barella and Calafiori
“There will be a bit of emotion… Little by little as we get closer we feel this emotion transforming into something enchanting, it will be wonderful to play a match for our country in this stadium. There will be many opposing fans, but we will have 60,000 on the pitch because they will play together with us. Barella is the one who knows how to do this the most. He has a free and clean football, therefore we count on him. It’s clear that he still has to do well in today’s and tomorrow morning’s training, then we’ll decide. Kids need to know that right now we are giants. Giants have defined behaviors. We are heroes and heroes care about situations that not only concern themselves, but above all others. We have little time available to train the national team, but if you have a group like this available, with total disposition and awareness, everything becomes easier. What you learn in one training session is equivalent to ten sessions in the club. Calafiori showed that he can be trusted and who has the quality of an international footballer. He plays the defender when the others have the ball, but when he has the ball he needs to chase it, because he wants to go and score goals“, the words of Spalletti, shortly before the press conference, to the microphones of Sky Sport.
The Donnarumma conference
“Am I a leader? The spirit is there, when you face a competition like this the energy comes naturally to you, the spirit will be that of three years ago and we will try to retrace those magical nights. I try to give everything, to advise the team of what was three years ago but the team is already ready, it won’t need my advice. Those who were there three years ago will give the new ones the directions to get to the end. Albania making its debut? It is the most insidious challenge. We have a difficult group and in tomorrow’s match there are many pitfalls, they are good and quick, they play a good game and therefore tomorrow we cannot play at 70-80%, but at 100%. Then we think race after race, tomorrow’s will be very important to take a step forward in the group. They are a quick and fast team, we have already seen some of their videos and they have very strong individualities. We have to be careful not to overextend ourselves, they have good speed on the counterattack, we need to stay united and have a very compact team group. The match can be won in the first minute or the last minute, it will be important to have balance and not overextend ourselves. Rules on retired videogames? No, absolutely no impact. The important thing is to have balance there too: when you’re in your room you play your toys, but it’s important not to be late the evening. After dinner we are all together in the games room, we spend some time there and have fun there. A really good group has been createdthe coach gave us some indications and advice but no serious rules“, Donnarumma’s words at the press conference.
On Bonucci, Chiellini and Buffon
“How it changes my role without Bonucci and Chiellini? No, it doesn’t change for me. Definitely an added responsibility, but absolutely nothing changes, there are various leaders in this group and I will make myself heard too. That’s my weight, I try to give my best: the last European Championship was fantastic, they were unforgettable experiences, but now we’re trying to write another page of history for Italy. 3 or 4 defense? The important thing is not the formation but how everyone plays the role, but as a goalkeeper it’s the same. It’s important to have a compact, cohesive team that attacks and defends together. It doesn’t change for me. Then it is normal that each team has its own module, the opponents will play differently and the coach will be very good at adapting to every situation, but the boys available know all the situations. If you win tomorrow you put an important brick on qualification, the first match is always important. We have a difficult group and winning tomorrow would put us in a different position: without points tomorrow we then have to have greater responsibility in the following two races. Having said that, our aim is to get points and win all three games. Buffon? Surely having Buffon here who made history in 2006 helps us a lot. Normally having his presence is important, Gigi leaves you a lot, but hearing him talk and give advice is even better. He can give us advice on that summer that became history, but surely then we take to the field and we have to fight“, continues Donnarumma.
On Barella, Jorginho, Scamacca, Retegui and Raspadori
“When there are situations near my area I will be there to talk to the referees, then before the match we will decide who in case will go and talk to the referee in situations far from my penalty area: they could be Jorginho or Barella… We will organize ourselves like this. Do I always work with a mental coach? Yes, it is very important and I recommend it to everyone. It helps you stay balanced, not to get caught up in emotions in such an important competition because emotions and ambitions are high. It’s important to have a head and not lose clarity, we always work on this. Scamacca? Gianluca is a great striker who has made giant strides in recent times, I watched every single game and he did incredible stuff. It can make a difference in every situation and it is important to have a point of reference forward, a point of support. We’re happy to have it and then alternatively we have Retegui and Raspadoriwhich have different qualities but can still give us a great hand“, concludes Donnarumma.
On Buffon’s role and the dream of winning Euro2024
“First sensations? Strong emotions, I feel the same as when there was the first match of the last European Championship in which we then made history. We will try to give an emotion to all Italians this time too, we are ready. Do I still have Buffon’s shirt? Certain, the one when I played against him for the first time. Having him here has an incredible effect, he was the idol of all the young people here. Having a champion like that with us makes us feel strong emotions and when he talks to us about his experiences it helps us a lot. We are a young group but some are already very experienced. The older ones must also give a strong thought to the new arrivals but there will be no problem in the adaptation. We are ready for this amazing story. Can you dream of winning? Dreaming costs nothing. We will certainly need all Italians, their strength. They will be on the pitch with us and will be our strength. It’s good to dream and we all dream, we hope to give other magical nights to Italians“, adds Donnarumma to Sky Sport.
