Alessandro Florenzi launched a furious defence of the Italy squad and above all Ciro Immobile. ‘He ought to be treated as a hero.’
The Azzurri were held 1-1 by the Netherlands this evening, dropping off the top of the Nations League group, as they are now a point behind Poland.
Florenzi came off the bench for the final stages in Bergamo, but was determined to stand up for the Nazionale.
Alessandro Florenzi launched a furious defence of the Italy squad and above all Ciro Immobile. ‘He ought to be treated as a hero.’
The Azzurri were held 1-1 by the Netherlands this evening, dropping off the top of the Nations League group, as they are now a point behind Poland.
Florenzi came off the bench for the final stages in Bergamo, but was determined to stand up for the Nazionale.
“We are proud of the performance, everyone gave their all and we have to continue playing this football,” the new PSG signing told RAI Sport.
“I saw an Italy side that forced Holland to completely transform their tactics and for the first time in who knows how long, they played with five at the back. That means they really fear our style of football and that alone should make us proud.
“I saw an Italy side that never lost its identity, its shape and what the coach wants.”
Lorenzo Pellegrini had opened the scoring and Donny van de Beek equalised, but Italy wasted several chances.
“We could’ve scored more, but I read some really terrible things and I feel the urge to speak out. Misses happen. What shouldn’t happen is the way Ciro is being treated in the media.
“This is a player who scored 36 Serie A goals last season, yet he is treated as if he’s the worst of the worst. If Robert Lewandowski had done that, he’d have been treated like a King.
“Immobile scored 36 goals and won the Golden Shoe last season, so he ought to be treated like a hero in Italy. If he fails to score for a couple of games, it shouldn’t be considered a disaster.
“He’s a great lad, a champion and a reference point for all of us. We are all thankful for what he brings and it’s just those outside the Italy camp who seem to have such a low opinion of Immobile.”