Davide Frattesi reveals what he thought when Italy conceded after 14 seconds and why fighting back to beat France 3-1 represents ‘a rebirth’ for this team.
It was the worst possible start at Parc des Princes, as within 14 seconds Bradley Barcola had robbed Giovanni Di Lorenzo to open the scoring.
What did the Inter midfielder think when that happened?
“I thought oh boy, it’s going to end 6-0,” Frattesi told reporters in the mixed zone through laughter.
“Joking aside, we thought that we had to start doing what the coach asked of us. Before the match, he described the match that eventually is what happened. We did well to finish our chances.”
They turned it around thanks to a Federico Dimarco volley set up by the splendid Sandro Tonali, then Frattesi came sliding in to meet the Mateo Retegui assist before Giacomo Raspadori sealed the 3-1 Nations League victory.
Frattesi sees a new Italy take shape
“This evening had to be a rebirth for us. I think the flop at the Euros was mainly down to our mentality, there was a lot of pressure on us both from the outside and inside the locker room, so we felt drained,” explained Frattesi.
“Instead, we are now moving in the right direction. You always learn from defeats and I think there is a very different atmosphere now. We feel freer and must continue with this spirit.”
When he scored to give Italy the lead, Frattesi rushed over for a big hug with coach Spalletti on the touchline.
“It was a bad summer for all of us, but when we got back together, we shared the blame equally. It’s not like 99 per cent of it was him and 1 per cent us, because we are the players who ultimately go out there and play.
“Let’s just say the hug represented starting afresh too.”
Italy are currently joint top of the Nations League group, as Belgium beat Israel 3-1 this evening.
Their next fixture is against Israel on Monday evening, played on neutral turf in Budapest, while France face off with the Belgians at the same time.
