Calafiori: ‘Italy a completely different team to EURO 2024’ | OneFootball

Riccardo Calafiori insists Italy are ‘a completely different team’ to the one that struggled at EURO 2024 and explains how his role differs from the one he plays at Arsenal.

The Azzurri made short work of Israel at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine this evening, as Giovanni Di Lorenzo bagged a brace, with Mateo Retegui converting a penalty and Davide Frattesi getting his seventh goal in the Luciano Spalletti era for the 4-1 victory.

It consolidated their status at the top of the Nations League group on 10 points, followed by France on 9 and Belgium 4, practically securing a place in the quarter-finals, but also drawing a massive line under the failure of EURO 2024.

Calafiori sees transformed Azzurri

“We are a completely different team, you can see the way we dominate the game now,” Calafiori told RAI Sport.

“Now we must continue like this, we’ve forgotten all about the Euros and are using that as motivation to do better in future.”

Riccardo Calafiori Italy (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Although the Arsenal defender plays as a left-back in the Premier League, he is a very particular figure in Italy’s three-man defence.

He has the freedom to roam forward, as seen in his contribution to the build-up of a goal today when he was on the edge of the opposition area.

“In modern football even the defenders have to contribute to building moves from the back, we mustn’t give reference points, so I try to do that and at the same time do not forget I am first and foremost a defender.

“I do enjoy my football, giving the team an extra option going forward, and realise I can improve. My objective is to know how to do both attacking and defending at a high level.”

Although Italy have won three of their four Nations League games and drew the other, they have also conceded in each of their last seven official matches.

“We have to improve on set play situations, as it is obvious that we often concede from those. I don’t know if we are disorganised or distracted, it is the only defect of our game at the moment and we must work to resolve it.”

Calafiori now returns to the Premier League with Arsenal after this spell representing Italy, so how is he finding the difference in culture?

“The Premier League has more intensity and every match is hard-fought, even against the smaller sides. If you don’t have a two-goal cushion, you always risk allowing a comeback.

“Intensity is the key, I try to bring that with me to the Nazionale so that I can help the team.”