Milan, Italy – March 20: Italian Alessandro Bastoni is active in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Nations League between Italy and Germany at Studio Sansiro, held in Milan, Italy on March 20, 2025. (Photo: Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Alessandro Bastoni sees “many envy” when it comes to judging Italian players, but with the teams of Riccardo Carafioli and Azzuri, “We’re a healthy group” and “no problem.”
Intel Star Bastoni We interviewed Gazzetta Dello Sport, discussing, among other things, his improvements and contributions in recent years. For the Italian national team.
The 26-year-old was asked why many experts don’t consider him a “pure” centre-back, but the Azzuri defender opposed the criticism.
“It’s a very Italian way of judgement. There’s a lot of vy hope here, especially when it comes to our own players,” he said.
“I see a lot of games in foreign leagues and I see defenders who are welcomed as monsters, but they make more mistakes than I do. That criticism might have been valid when I was clearly flawed, when I worked on them and improved.
So, how has he improved defensively in recent years?
“I’m dealing with the mindset mostly by watching the videos and seeing what I was wrong, but by mainly dealing with the mindset. It was a mental issue,” he admitted.
“I often lost focus because I didn’t have the same resolve for 90 minutes. I’m at 26 and there’s room to grow, but in my first season with Inter, I wasn’t 100% ready in every respect. Vrij and Pavard were in my head.”
The specialized transfer website TransferMarkt rates Bastoni at 85 million euros as the world’s most expensive centre-back, but despite his ability to advance as a left-center defender with three defenses, he must play with the Italian national team, play as a pure central defender and adapt when leaving the left wing to Riccardo Calafiori.
“Calafioli plays in the same role. He’s really good. Spalletti’s idea is to put as much quality as possible on the pitch, and we’re adapting to his philosophy,” Bastoni explained.
“Riccardo is a great guy. We have a healthy group in the national team. There’s absolutely no problem.”
In the same interview, Bastoni spoke about his inter journey in the Champions League and said that if Nerazzuri continues to defend as a team, Nerazzuri can go all the way.
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