Two days before Switzerland-Italy, there is the defender Alessandro Good morning in a press conference at ‘Casa Azzurri’. The Torino centre-back, with Calafiori suspended, is in the running with Gianluca Mancini for a starting shirt for the match that will take place on Saturday afternoon in Berlin from 18:00.
With Calafiori’s disqualification, do you think your moment may have come?
“In every training session we try to give our best to try to put the coach in difficulty. If it were to be my moment, I prepared as much as I could to be ready.”
What was your reaction after you understood the importance of Zaccagni’s goal for access to the eighth finals? Do you feel that your defense lives up to the Italian tradition?
“Last night we immediately congratulated Zaccagni, after the match we were happy and pleased with how things ultimately went in Leipzig. As for the defense, there is this tradition of very strong Italian defenders, it’s true: we try to take inspiration to try to do the best we can and be at their level. Sometimes we ask for advice from those who preceded us, we happen to see their actions and we are trying to do our best to be at their level”.
Is there an awareness in the locker room that the decisive step can be made to grow?
“Absolutely, after the last match the awareness of an Italy that doesn’t give up, that manages to score in the last minute in a very difficult match has also increased. We know that the match against Switzerland will not be an easy match, we will try to do the maximum to be ready for this match. In terms of general awareness, we know that we can give our best, that we can guarantee maximum commitment and professionalism.”
Your worth is known. Do you feel like one of the best defenders in Italy?
“It’s not for me to say, I try to commit myself, to improve day after day and to set objectives to fill my gaps. On the aspects of the pitch I think I have demonstrated that the defensive phase is my strong point, but with Spalletti we are also working hard on the possession phase. I also did it a lot in Turin, I think I can still improve in this aspect. Everything can be improved.”
How did you experience the return to the three-man defense? Did Calafiori impress you? Is he really that good?
“Certainly the three-man defense for those who play in my department can only be positive news, there are more defenders playing. But the important thing is to get to the match well, to use the right game system to put the opponents in difficulty. Calafiori is an excellent player, a very good boy and he had already impressed me with Bologna. He is doing very well in these matches.”
How much does your past in the national team give you in terms of self-esteem, given that you’ve been in this group for a year now?
“The awareness of being ready, of being able to face the match in the best possible way. Certainly the matches already played with the national team increase this awareness, in both I had played well: on one occasion the team won and on another we drew against Ukraine and we qualified.
You represent Torino here, who did you think of when you found yourself in this competition?
“It was a great emotion, I thought about my entire journey since I was little in Toro, I thought about my family who tries to help me as much as possible and I certainly addressed a thought to them. For the rest there is a fantastic atmosphere, it’s the first time I’ve experienced such emotions and I’m very happy to be here and to represent a part of Turin.”
Did this phase of possession penalize you a bit, where you can improve in terms of playing time?
“The coach makes the choices, what we can do is try to put him in difficulty by training as best we can. If this doesn’t happen, the important thing is to stay focused, during training and also off the pitch because if the opportunity comes you have to make be ready”.
How do you see Switzerland?
“It’s a very tough national team, they play well and know how to attack deep, it certainly won’t be easy. We are trying to prepare the match as best we can, we want to stem the opponents’ tactical situations. We will certainly be ready.”
How do you see the few questions about Switzerland? Why is there this lack of interest?
“I don’t know… From our point of view it’s definitely a super challenging match, with very mobile players who know how to find spaces. It will be a challenging challenge and not to be underestimated.”
Have you heard from Rodriguez yet? Have you talked about this challenge?
“We spoke to each other before saying goodbye to Turin, saying that the hope was to see each other in the final… We’ll see each other a little before but we didn’t say any particular things to each other, we wished each other good luck for the competition” .
In your opinion, were there different methods of refereeing compared to what you and Rosetti agreed upon?
“In my opinion, in general they were right. Then the coach tells us not to think about the referees’ choices, not to protest blatantly, but to accept their choices and think about our game. We must always remain focused on our match and on what we are doing doing”.
Seeing the scoreboard: did you think you could do it?
“Our part of the draw is the easiest, but every game will not be easy. We hope to be able to move forward, we know how important it is for us and for Italy in general. We hope to make it.”
Did Vanoli also wish you good luck?
“Yes, he sent me a message telling me to think only about the European Championship at the moment and that we would talk to each other at the end of the competition. I watched a few Venezia matches, he seems like an excellent coach and I will have the opportunity to get to know him.”
TMW – You are living Spalletti for many days. What surprised you?
“This desire of his to make us understand his game ideas, he tries to be very careful in any training session, on any occasion. How we train, but also what we do while training, the right passes that we find in the game. Up this is very attentive as he is very attentive to tactics, to how to get out of pressure, to how to press, I find these are all very useful things that also allow you to improve from an individual point of view. This is one thing which amazed me, it manages to make you grow as a player as well as collectively.”
With the exception of Spain none of the favorites impressed. Does this give you greater awareness that you can have your say?
“This makes us aware of the fact that no match is easy. The moral is that we must not underestimate our opponents because every team is strong and hides dangers and pitfalls. We must always reach our best in every match.”
