Ciro Immobile asks himself ‘every day’ why he is not as prolific with Italy as he is with Lazio and explains why he didn’t quit international football after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Roberto Mancini’s men are preparing to meet England in the Nations League at San Siro on Friday.
They are currently training at Coverciano where Immobile met the media at a press conference today.
The experienced striker was expected to quit international football when the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup in March, but he eventually decided to stay.
“I considered all that happened after the failed qualification for the Wo,rld Cup and I understood that the others could not determine my future with the national team,” he said as quoted by TMW.
“I’ve understood that I have a lot to give. The next World Cup is far away, but if I continue to be fit, I am sure I have more to offer. I’ve received strong criticism and I was very disappointed.
“I think Mancini has never had doubts about my future, I spoke about it with my, family and I decided to continue,” he continued.
“I expect a tough game against England, For them, it’s one of the final two games ahead of the World Cup, but we know that we have to offer something t our people who are disappointed for having missed out on the World Cup.”
Who are his potential heirs with the Azzurri?
“Scamacca, Pellegri, Pinamonti and Raspadori who already played at the Euros with us. Gianluca has decided to go to the Premier League, a tough choice, he will need time. They all need to score at a club level to have a chance with the national team.”
Immobile, 32, has scored 187 goals in 268 games with Lazio, but has been unable to replicate his form with the Azzurri. He was part of the Euro 2020 squad, but has only scored 15 goals in 55 appearances with the Azzurri.
“The system is not an issue, any choice from the coach is ok for me. I’ve been asking myself [what’s the problem] every day. Perhaps I have more margin for error at Lazio. It burns to have become Serie A’s Capocannoniere four times but not be as prolific with the national team.”
Some critics, especially on social media, have crossed the line, so Immobile has decided to take legal action against the ‘haters’.
“I think one must take action. I’ve received awful messages about my kids and this has to stop. There is everything on social media, perhaps it will be difficult to identify those people, but UEFA is already doing something and is right to do the same in Italy.”
In the end, he was asked whether his Lazi side can win the Serie A title this season. As of today, they are just three points behind leaders Napoli and Atalanta.
“I can’t enter the dressing room shouting ‘we are going to win the league’, but I’ve been thinking about the Scudetto since I came here,” the striker admitted.
“I have this mentality, I want to reach the top and I believe everyone should aim for the same. I am not saying we are surely going to win the title, but we are improving and the race is open.”
A great striker at club level, but he is a big part of why Italy missed on two consecutive World Cups.
Ciro is prolific against smaller Seria A teams,
i’ve also noticed that he struggles against decent euro teams and as we already know poor on the international stage
Were going nowhere if he’s going to lead our attack again,
OK it didn’t work before over and over, but hey lets give him another try
Why are my comments not posted?
Immobile can do well in certain situations. It’s best to start him on the bench. Bring him on if Italy have the lead later in the game. At least he runs and can give a team trouble on the counter attack.
Immobile failed in Germany and Spain so let that sink in. He has been Italy main striker since 2014 and if he isn’t scoring in his 20’s what is he gonna do into his 30’s.
Can we move on now?
Cirro, the system IS the issue. You were successful with Lazio when you play with another striking partner in the middle, which was Correa. You may say that you are fine with the coach formation, but that doesn’t mean you could thrive as a lone striker upfront. Not your fault Cirro, when you are not lone striker, you are not a lone striker.
Nazionale’s biggest problem was how to put Insigne into the line-up. Him being small makes him unsuitable for the central attacker role, therefore Nazionale has to play with Inside Forward formation.
scores plenty from the penalty spot