Scalvini: “In Turkey we became aware of our strength, against France we will see where we are. We are positive, courageous”
Giorgio Scalvini is only 22, yet he already seems like a veteran. Maybe that is because he has been part of the Azzurri set-up for four years, or maybe because he is more mature than his age suggests. What is certain is that his story with Italy, which started as he came through all the youth ranks, has been troubled so far, from the European Championship he missed two years ago because of a cruciate ligament rupture a few days before leaving for Germany to the bitter night in Zenica, when he watched Italy fail to qualify for the World Cup from the stands: "I think this is a year of change," he said at the press conference, "one in which at the same time I can learn a great deal. I would like to be at 100 per cent in every respect so I can give everything for the club and for the national team."
Roberto Mancini gave him his Azzurri debut in Mönchengladbach in June 2022, when he was 18 and a half, in the Nations League defeat to Germany: 5-2. "I have always got on very well with the manager, I like the transparency with which he tells me things as well as the footballing knowledge he has. When I made my debut I was very young, I did not really know what to expect. What I see now, even if we are only at the beginning, is that we are trying to have an identity. Mancini wants a team that tries to dominate the match and tells us to enjoy ourselves."
In Bursa, Italy brushed aside the doubts raised by their Nations League opener against Belgium, showing the slick interplay and understanding that marked Mancini's first Italy side: "The win against Turkey gave us the awareness that we are a strong team, that we have the ability to play good football and win. The senior players are helping us youngsters a lot and that is very important, it shows the true spirit of Italy and the national team. The group is fantastic, we are getting on very well together." Alongside Bastoni, another product of Atalanta's youth academy with whom he has often been compared, the defender, fresh from renewing his contract with La Dea, turned in a composed, error-free display: "Playing in a back four with Sarri helps me; the more I learn, the better it is". He has learned a great deal from people like Chiellini and Bonucci: "They are football legends, I am fortunate to have shared training sessions with them and to still have Bonucci on the staff."
In Paris on Friday, the level will go up and the Azzurri defence will have to work overtime: "France are a very strong team, among the best in the world and, above all in attack, they have quality and speed superior to everyone else. We are positive and brave." We are Italy and we will try to do our best, playing openly. Measuring ourselves against such a strong team is also an excellent way to understand where we are at.
