Francesco Acerbi suggests Italy were not always humble during their World Cup qualifying games but seems to enjoy the Azzurri’s new system.
Italy beat England in a Nations League clash at San Siro last night thanks to Giacomo Raspadori’s marvellous winner in the second half.
It was a bittersweet win for Mancini’s boys who will watch the 2022 World Cup from home in November after failing to qualify in March.
“It was a good game, we wanted to show that we are still here,” Acerbi told Rai Sport after beating England last night.
“They have quality players, but we pressed high and played as a team, which was the most important thing. You must always be humble against these teams otherwise you risk losing and that’s why we are not at the World Cup.”
Italy ended their World Cup qualification group in second place behind Switzerland and lost the World Cup play-offs to North Macedonia.
Mancini switched to a 3-5-2 system against England last night, and the Azzurri looked more stable at the back.
“The coach asked us to play like this, this system is used by 80% of Serie A teams. We have the players for this tactic, and I think it went well.”
Acerbi is accustomed to playing in a three-man defence and struggled at Lazio last season when Maurizio Sarri re-introduced a 4-3-3 system.
The Italian defender joined Inter on the deadline day after a tumultuous summer where he trained separately from the rest of the team.
“I tried to carry forward the personalised training I was doing at Lazio, without joining the team. I tried to remain in shape and it paid out.”
The Azzurri can still win their Nations League group but must beat Hungary away on Monday night.