Simone Zaza thanked Ciro Immobile for helping him settle into the Italy squad, but also said “Mario Balotelli is one of my favourites.”
Simone Zaza thanked Ciro Immobile for helping him settle into the Italy squad, but also said “Mario Balotelli is one of my favourites.”
The Sassuolo” data-scaytid=”4″>Sassuolo centre-forward spoke at a Press conference alongside Immobile and the pair should also start Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Azerbaijan.
“It’s wonderful to be in a par with Ciro. I don’t want to make comparisons with strikers of the past, as I am only at the beginning of my career.
“I am fortunate to have found a teammate like him who helped me so much and we also just click. We got along right from the start. Our objective is to continue like this.
“The thing I like about Ciro is he’s a very humble guy despite all his quality. We are more or less the same age. I can learn from his determination and desire to get to every ball in order to score. I hope to play alongside him for a long time.”
With Immobile and Zaza doing so well, there is no room for Liverpool forward Balotelli, who hasn’t even been called up.
“Mario is one of my favourite strikers, everyone knows his quality and I see him as someone who could stay in this Nazionale. He’s not a shadow cast over us. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, so I’d like to do that.
“There is a positive atmosphere in the squad and the more time goes by, the more I feel a part of it.”
Zaza scored in his second senior Italy match, but failed to find the net since then for Sassuolo.
“We had some problems after international duty, both personally and as a team. We cannot seem to express our football. I suffered a little in physical and psychological terms after two Italy games, but I want to do well with Sassuolo because that’s the only way to get into the Nazionale.
“It also took me a little time to adapt to a completely different system, as at Sassuolo we play 4-3-3. With Conte you need to help out in defence as well, so it’s hard work.
“Would I follow Ciro to Germany? This is only my second Serie A season and I am happy at Sassuolo. In honesty, I couldn’t say whether I’d prefer a big club in Italy or abroad. If I deserve to take flight, then I will.”