Alessio Cerci felt the 1-0 win over Albania was “certainly my best” Italy performance, but he’s frustrated at Atletico Madrid.
The winger picked up a muscular problem early on in the game, but was able to run it off.
Alessio Cerci felt the 1-0 win over Albania was “certainly my best” Italy performance, but he’s frustrated at Atletico Madrid.
The winger picked up a muscular problem early on in the game, but was able to run it off.
“I really wanted to play, as it was a very important test for me and it would’ve been a great shame to go off early with an injury. I grit my teeth and got on with it,” he told Rai Sport.
This was Cerci’s first Italy call-up under Antonio Conte but, unlike Mario Balotelli, he was able to play.
“The Coach said we were all starting from scratch, he wanted to see some players he hadn’t worked with yet. He talked about me and Mario, I gave my all in training and on the field do what I do best. I think it went well.
“You must always have a spirit of sacrifice, heart and grit, as apart from tactics, the tempo and determination on the field is what makes the difference.
“It was certainly my best performance in an Italy jersey. After an important season at Torino, I never really got the chance to express myself for the Azzurri.
“I got that chance today and was so eager to prove myself, also as I’m not playing regularly at club level at the moment.”
With that lack of playing time at Atletico Madrid in mind, Cerci has been repeatedly linked with a January move to Inter.
“We’ll see what happens from now to January with Atletico. If I continue to not play… I didn’t go there to not play football.
“I had a couple of great years as a protagonist at Torino and those who know me are aware that I struggle on the bench. I lose patience pretty quickly.”