Ciro Immobile believes Lazio’s new playing style will help him with the national team but complains about criticism on social media: ‘I didn’t get the same treatment as others.’

The Lazio forward is expected to start against Switzerland at the Stadio Olimpico on Friday in a key World Cup qualifying match.

“We all want to take part in the World Cup. Everybody wants it so much. After what happened in 2017, there can’t be another end,” Immobile said at a press conference attended by Football Italia.

“It’s special to play in the stadium where I usually wear the captain’s armband,” he continued.

“I want to be the starting striker at the World Cup. It’s my objective and my target and I will give my all to achieve it.

“I dreamt of becoming a footballer, winning the Euros, the Golden Boot. My mum always says I am stubborn and I always want to win. Maybe that’s not a good thing for my wife, but it’s good for my career.”

Mancini eases pressure on Italy

Immobile has become the best goal-scorer in the history of Lazio, but still gets a lot of criticism when he plays for the Azzurri, especially on social media.

“Criticisms are part of the game with this shirt, I always try to give my best with Italy and Lazio,” Immobile said.

“I can’t deny that I suffer sometimes, my figures here are not the same as the ones at Lazio, but it’s impossible to have the same. We play 7-8 games a year with the national team. I’d like to score the same amount of goals here.

“Sometimes I am sorry because I don’t get the same treatment as others. Sometimes it seemed that I wasn’t part of the team that won the Euros. I know I need score more goals, but I am happy about my performances, as long as the team win I am happy.

“I need to be treated, feel at the centre of the project, but the same goes for all footballers. Here, Mancini and his staff always try to understand what I need to be at my best. In September, the coach told me: ‘Remember you are the champion of Europe, you don’t need to prove anything.’

Immobile is the best scorer in Serie A right now, with 10 goals in 11 appearances. How is he adapting to Maurizio Sarri’s playing style?

“It’s a new playing style and it’s helping me with the national team. I don’t play with another striker next to me and the same happens with the national team. Sarri tells me I could score more goals because I attack the area always in the same way.

“We are trying to play as he wants, we struggled a bit at the beginning, but now we are succeeding. At the beginning, I asked him if I was a problem for the team, he said no.

“I am grateful to my Lazio teammates for helping me become the best striker at the club and it was great to receive the award from Lazio fans.”

Immobile was part of the Azzurri squad when Sweden eliminated them from the World Cup play-offs in 2017.

“I will try to give my best for the next two games. I know these games are important, we need to reach the target as we’ve always done,” the 31-year-old said.

“I’ve deleted the game against Sweden from my mind, it’s useless to have tension before these games.

“It will be a tough game, they press a lot, but we played a good game in Basel. We created a lot, but we need to improve the finishing. We played a good game over there, against an important team.”

11 thought on “Immobile opens up about Italy criticism, Mancini and Sarri’s help”
  1. Hes clearly a good striker. Lets hope he develops into an Italy star. If he can start scoring him and chiesa could really dominate.

    Kean also has to work on his overall game away from finishing and not give away the ball. We need these guys to be reliable if italy can compete with the South American teams. Spain & France are dangerous too.

  2. This guy cannot play for Italy, he looks lost on the field.
    It is amazing how many chances he gets, any other player would be dropped.

  3. Hope he proves me wrong but if he hasn’t made it by now never will he’s to clumsy needs to much time doesn’t come towards the ball always waits for the ball to come to him by that time the defender has tackled him always looking for a foul needs to start using his strength if he has any,
    Never seems to be on the same wavelength as the rest, his heading is poor
    Only thing I rate high is his Pk

  4. Immobile has figured out how to score in Serie A.

    However, he never figured out how to score in Germany, Spain, or for the national team.

    He hurts us when he is on the field and really closes things down for us.

    Having said that I do find purpose in him. I think he is actually effective when Italy needs to shut down the game and you need that striker who is going to defend well and hustle but at the same time stay a “threat”

    For example I would feel far more comfortable if Italy were up a goal and our strikers are now walking on the field and not helping in defense and you look at the bench? My first thought it let’s put him in because we know he is going to play hustle out there and be physical.

  5. I have a good vibe about him for Friday.

    Ciruzzo

    Lolo Fede

    Barella Jorgi

    Loca

    Emerson Chiello Bonni Di Lo

    Gigio (no boo’s)

    FORZA AZZURRI & BULGARIA

  6. All this time we thought it’s the formation, but he’s banging in the goals as regularly as ever (if not more) in Sarri’s 4-3-3 now.

    I’m at a loss with this guy now. How can he be so awesome at club level and fail big-time with the Azzurri is a real mystery to me.

  7. I agree with all the criticisms here. We have a major problem not only with Immobile’s continued failings, on an individual basis, with the NT, but also with the fact there is no decent alternative right now. Belotti, kean, Balotelli, Raspadori, Scamacca have all disapointed both with their goal scoring records and general play on the pitch. I am hoping that now Belotti has recovered from injury, he’ll go on a sustained run, with Juric getting the best out of him. If we can recover the Belotti who excelled under Mihajlovic, he could be the answer. That’s a big if though.

  8. we need to improve the finishing.
    This is something I have been harping about here and this website of British origins is linked in with Serie A and they do relay messages.

    We need to modify the training methods to have our Serie A address this ridiculously pressing issue ongoing since decades.

    This is why the likes of Conte, Allegri doing a retreat is so fundamental-this gets the confidence out of the players. Conte discipline works, Allegri retreat works-do that and modify the training routines a little make them more German, British like and we will get results.

    Also Immobile is like Morata it’s a mental issue and again follow my ideas and it works. Another tip that will work is to have some of the players join a dancing class to loosen them up, look at Morata all woody stiff like very odd as Spanish strikers are usually samba like Brazil, these are not jokes I am serious here. Immobile is tense and is admitting it in the article, he needs to loosen up and all will be fine.

  9. @Jarod Knows Knowles
    I think your onto something. But Ciro doesn’t realise all of Italy doesn’t need to do like the Lazio fans, good or bad cheer him on .

    Also, he should use social media less. In the past, players never got so much stick (we all have accounts so we can directly react) and he actually runs his, meaning there isn’t some odd moderator/PR manager so he actually reads them. Again, it is his fault in that sense but I wish he could just focus on so much more positive ones. He used to be underrated but not any more and a lot of people love him. But yeah you are right. Good luck to you Italian!

  10. I have been watching/following soccer “i Auzzurri” since the 1970 heartbreak.
    I have yet to remember seeing any superstar soccer player brush back his hair as much as Immobile, after a GOAL miss.
    Distraction or an irritant, which no superstar needs.
    In Sirie A he is scoring against the best of Italian soccer.
    In European and World Cup he is NOT scoring against World class teams.
    I am not a world class coach or Psychologist.
    He will never “please the Auzzurri fans”with what ever is lacking in his World class performance.

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