Mattia De Sciglio admits Italy CT Antonio Conte “would be on the pitch with us if he could”.
The Azzurri boss is known for his animated antics on the touchline, including trying to climb over the dugout after the second goal against Spain.
“With the desire he has to lead the team from the bench, he’d be on the pitch to play with us if he could,” De Sciglio smiled in a Press conference.
“His determination and desire to make us not give a single centimetre… that’s the thing that catches the eye.
Mattia De Sciglio admits Italy CT Antonio Conte “would be on the pitch with us if he could”.
The Azzurri boss is known for his animated antics on the touchline, including trying to climb over the dugout after the second goal against Spain.
“With the desire he has to lead the team from the bench, he’d be on the pitch to play with us if he could,” De Sciglio smiled in a Press conference.
“His determination and desire to make us not give a single centimetre… that’s the thing that catches the eye.
“Of course we hear it when he screams, especially those of us who play on the wing…
“Our physicality? We’re taking it game-by-game, but Conte certainly gives us a lot more competitive nastiness.
“We fight for every ball, and get into physical challenges. We have to do that because we don’t have star players like Spain do. We have to give everything we have.
“Conte has helped me a lot, he made me aware of his confidence in me at every point in the season. He called me up even in months where I wasn’t at my best.
“He made me feel part of the group and the squad, giving me confidence. Then also the whole group are friends.
“We’re very close, and together we can enhance each other’s qualities.”
Italy have conceded just one goal in the competition so far, and that was in a meaningless match against the Republic of Ireland.
“We have players with international experience, we have the players from Juventus who show their strength and understanding in every match.
“They play together every game, so it’s normal that they know each other perfectly. They have great experience and personality, giving us directions on how to move better.
“They’ve won in Italy for the last five years.”
Finally, De Sciglio was asked about the cut to his face after requiring seven stitches after catching a boot from Pawel Wszolek in April.
“Whenever I look at it in future, it will remind me of the period I went through and how I got over it,” the Milan defender explained.
“Rather than getting a tattoo, I’ll have a scar to remind me of this period, which was negative at first but which I managed to overcome.”