FLORENCE (ITALPRESS) – “It seems easy to score a point for this national team but one should not think as if that’s all it takes. We will play against Belgium, which has players who play in the best European teams, and against France, which has two players per role. They will be two very difficult games, we will not play to score a point, the attitude will be the correct one, we will have to fight, and we will not have to be cocky.” Luciano Spalletti makes things clear ahead of the last two Nations League engagements, Thursday against the Red Devils and Sunday against France: the Azzurri will not settle for the point that would be enough to pass the round. “We need to follow up on what we have shown so far, to give continuity,” the Azzurri coach stressed from Coverciano, “To the players we have to see graphs and things experienced during the European Championship and during this Nations League, this change has depended above all on them. Even Buffon told the players that you can see that they have regained awareness of their strength, and thanks to that they have become a team. We are also happy that they have taken into consideration this tactical system, that they are convinced of it. I told them that they are perfect undisciplined.” Spalletti has on his hands a group that is an expression of a very balanced league. “I complimented the players on how they are highlighting good soccer, there is a competitiveness that is good for everyone because it stimulates growth, you see beautiful matches, from a competitive point of view drawn like Inter-Napoli last night. You also see teams of lesser level giving the better equipped teams a run for their money: there is opportunity for growth in here and we have more to choose from.” Good news also from the forwards with Retegui (11 goals) and Kean (8 goals) leading the Serie A top scorers. “They showed what we hoped for, we are happy to see them at the top,” Spalletti commented, “Comuzzo and Kean arrived together and I told the former to be careful because he will score goals too. Kean has obvious qualities and some criticisms but he is bringing out the qualities.” Speaking of the purple striker, he had an ankle discomfort, “but we will make him recover, just as we will make those who are not at their best recover in the next two days.” Injured against Juve, Samuele Ricci returns instead (“if a player is not well we don’t want him to play infiltrated. It would have been very difficult to recover him for the first game”), in his place “Locatelli will come who has already been called up and will be here at dinner.” Finally, Spalletti returns to the charge on the issue of facilities. “You have to redo the stadiums because you cannot see stadiums in this way here. When you see Champions matches abroad you see beautiful stadiums. We need to catch up with others in soccer played but also in stadiums.”- Photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
