Francesco Acerbi notes Italy ‘try to never lose, but nobody can manage that all the time,’ so they knew their strength even before beating Belgium.
The Azzurri lost their world record 37-match unbeaten run against Spain after Leonardo Bonucci saw red, but got back on track straight away with today’s 2-1 result against FIFA number one world ranking side Belgium.
This allowed them to take third place in the Nations League tournament for 2021.
“A defeat can happen after 37 games and three years. We wanted to put in another good performance in front of our fans, we achieved that,” Lazio defender Acerbi told RAI Sport.
“We can’t let our heads drop because of one defeat. We try to never lose, but nobody can manage that all the time, so we keep going.”
Both Italy and Belgium were badly weakened by injuries and Acerbi believes that’s no coincidence.
“It’s a bit of a tired time, I see my teammates giving their all, but we are playing really a lot of games. It’s a constant travel and training retreat.
“We are a great squad, we stick together even after defeat and know our own strength.”
Next month, Italy go head-to-head with Switzerland for top spot in the 2022 World Cup qualifying group, as the Azzurri are three points clear, but the Swiss have a game in hand.
“We’re playing at home, so after a couple of slip-ups in qualifying that were unlike us, we go out there aware of our capabilities. Always optimism!”
No excuses in November. Win or at the very least, AVOID DEFEAT.
These guys have to be aware that a World Cup place is at stake.