Calafiori fit for Italy: ‘I’ve spoken more with Gattuso than with my mother’
Italy international Riccardo Calafiori says he’s fit to play against Northern Ireland on Thursday and jokes: ‘I’ve spoken more with Gattuso than with my mother in recent months. .’
Arsenal defender Calafiori held a press conference at Italy’s Coverciano training base on Tuesday, ahead of the crucial upcoming World Cup play-off campaign.
Calafiori on Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Arsenal form and Gattuso relationship
Gennaro Gattuso said on Monday that Calafiori had suffered a little discomfort during Arsenal’s 2-0 loss against Manchester City in the EFL Cup Final.
“I feel well, let’s see on the field today, but I’m fine. In such a delicate moment, the key is to always live in the present, enjoy every single moment and focus on one game at a time,” Calafiori told the media, including Football Italia.
Italy will face Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off semi-final on Thursday, March 26, while the potential Final will be played away against Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday, March 31.
“Honestly, as I’ve always said, I prefer to just focus on ourselves; it’s not the moment to focus on the opponents; it depends more on us,” said the Arsenal defender.
“The game must be prepared just as a normal game. We know how important it is, but we must feel light. On set pieces, I feel that we must be very focused, especially defensively. We know they can be dangerous in these situations. We can be dangerous too, but in today’s football, set pieces make a difference, and details are crucial.”
Northern Ireland are expected to rely mostly on dead balls and set pieces to hurt the Azzurri.
“As soon as they have the ball, they’ll try to play this way. The only way is to try to avoid these types of play as much as we can, stay focused on second balls, and stay focused from start to finish,” noted Calafiori.
The Italy international is in his second season at Arsenal. What are the biggest differences between Italian and English football?
“There’s a lot of talk about the Premier League, but in the end, it’s only us [Arsenal] left [in the Champions League].
Calafiori, however, forget about Liverpool who are still involved in Europe’s elite competition.
“The Champions League is a tough competition, also for English clubs. Football is not an exact science,” he added.
“I believe that the biggest difference is mostly in the intensity of training and games, but the real training is the game in the Premier League. Especially for a team like us that plays twice a week and doesn’t train much, it’s all the game’s merit. The feeling is that there’s high intensity and there are fewer dead moments.
Italy have scored 19 goals in six games under Gattuso, but conceded nine times. Yet Calafiori is not concerned about the Azzurri’s defensive solidity.
“It’s not the main problem, as usual, when you make a mistake or concede a goal, it’s not just one department at fault. We must not dwell on the past, but stay together these days and achieve the result we all want,” he said.
“I like to remember the game against Estonia in Bergamo. We had good feelings, and I hope the stadium can help us a lot, and hopefully, on Thursday, it will be even better.
“Obviously, I hope for a game where we’ll dominate proceedings and have the bigger chances, but I said before, we can’t imagine how the game will go. The message we want to send is to be united, as close as possible, and very positive, because I think it will help us. In these games, technique and tactics are important, but it’s union that will make us go ahead.”
Gennaro Gattuso and his assistants visited Italian players over the last few months.
“I really appreciated the coach’s attitude. I’ve spoken more with him than with my mother in recent months. I’m pretty shy, but he was good at staying close to me because there was a moment when I was out. That dinner was nice, we spent time together and it was nice to do so. We didn’t have a chance to train together these past months, but the most important thing is spending time together.
“He [Gattiso] paid for it [the dinner]! It felt like a night out with friends. We spoke about football and other things. Buffon and Leo [Bonucci] were there too, and they spoke to us about their experience. Then we spoke a bit about the game, there’s nothing more to add.”
Why should Italy fans be confident?
“Because we all want the same thing,” Calafiori replied.
“Why should we make life difficult for ourselves? I like to think positively. In the end, when one has a positive mindset, one achieves what one wants.
“Pressure is there; we can’t avoid it. We know how important this game is. We try not to think about it, the game is just two days away. I’m happy to play this game and this is the message I want to send. The other side of the coin is that it might go badly, but we want to think positively, because this week can bring happiness and send us to the World Cup in America, that’s the only thing I think about.
“It’s all about how you look at this game. Evidently, it’s a responsibility. There are millions of people watching us, but I see it as an opportunity. To have such a beautiful chance. This is something we’ve been dreaming of since we were kids. I can’t wait to play this game.”
Calafiori has made 29 appearances across all competitions at a club level this term, scoring one goal and providing three assists.
The ex-Bologna and Roma defender made his senior Italy debut under Luciano Spalletti in June 2024, just a few days before the start of the Euros, and now has 12 international appearances under his belt.