Alberto Aquilani made his Italy comeback after almost two years and confessed the side had a few “nerves” against Romania.
“In the first half we were too nervous and didn't give enough depth to the game. After the break we had more space and were able to move the ball around quicker,” said the Juventus midfielder of their 1-1 draw.
“It wasn't easy, as many of us were playing together for the first time, but it's not an alibi as with the Nazionale you must always try to give your best.
Alberto Aquilani made his Italy comeback after almost two years and confessed the side had a few “nerves” against Romania.
“In the first half we were too nervous and didn't give enough depth to the game. After the break we had more space and were able to move the ball around quicker,” said the Juventus midfielder of their 1-1 draw.
“It wasn't easy, as many of us were playing together for the first time, but it's not an alibi as with the Nazionale you must always try to give your best.
“In the first half we all struggled to find our position and could barely string five passes together, as there were too many mistakes.
“Romania are a good side, but we should've done better tonight. It's not easy when many are making their debut and we all aren't used to playing together.”
Aquilani's last Italy cap was on 10 Feb 2009 in an international friendly against Brazil.
“My debut was definitely more emotional, especially as I was very young. There were some nerves in my return after nearly two years, but I had this as my objective for a long time.”
He changed position after the break by moving into the more advanced role thanks to the space vacated by Alessandro Diamanti.
“I am a pure midfielder at Juventus and feel good there, so I am versatile enough and don't have a problem with different positions.
“I pushed up more in the second half, but as long as I am in a quite central role, then I'm happy.”