Manuel Locatelli admits it was ‘special’ to make his comeback from the start for Italy after the row with Roberto Mancini. ‘I needed a game like this.’
The Juventus midfielder was one of five changes to the starting XI after the 1-1 draw with North Macedonia on Saturday and it certainly paid off in a 2-1 victory over Ukraine at San Siro.
Davide Frattesi scored both goals for the Nazionale, though Locatelli came closest to a third with a shot that came off the crossbar.
“It was special for me. I needed a game like this, as I had been out of the Nazionale for a long time. It was a strong performance overall, an important victory and we are very happy,” Locatelli told Sky Sport Italia.
He had been frozen out for the best part of a year by Roberto Mancini and confessed that his rapport with the previous coach was negative, as they had ‘different ideas’ on how to play football.
Spalletti came in and is changing the approach with a more attacking bent, giving his players greater freedom to move and find the spaces.
“The coach just arrived, he is bringing his ideas and we are trying to respect them. I think we played well today, regardless of how the team played before, and at the end of the day what matters is that we win.”
The mood in the Italy camp was bleak after the 1-1 draw with North Macedonia, but this result and performance should boost their confidence.
“Absolutely, results are fundamental and this was like a knockout round for us, so we are really happy with the victory.”