Italy Coach Reaffirms Inter Star After Germany Disaster
Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti holds Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni in high esteem and will continue to trust him. During his pre-game interview ahead of Italy's must-win Nations League second-leg clash against Germany via Calciomercato, Spalletti reaffirmed Bastoni's status within the national team.
Deployed slightly out of position, Alessandro Bastoni flopped in Thursday's encounter at the San Siro. Indeed, he lost track of Tim Kleindienst and Leon Goretzka as Germany came from behind to beat Italy 2-1 on this soil for the first time since 1986.
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi often plays the 25-year-old as left center-back. Furthermore, he has recently used him on the left wing to compensate for Federico Dimarco's absence. However, Spalletti switched Bastoni to the center on Thursday, which backfired on Italy.
Bastoni's underwhelming performance didn't sit well with the local media, as numerous domestic outlets blasted the ex-Atalanta rearguard for his blunders. However, Bastoni's place at Italy remains cemented, as per Spalletti.
'Bastoni will play. I spoke with him about deploying him as the central defender in a back three, and in my opinion, he did very well in that position. He and Buongiorno are strong players who should be able to coexist even when Calafiori returns,' Spaletti stated.
Despite Mattia Zaccagni's formidable form at Lazio, he is yet to establish himself as a permanent fixture at Italy.
'He's a winger in a 4-3-3 formation, and he has improved offensively by moving inside because at Lazio, he has an attacking full-back behind him.' the Italy boss added. 'Starting him from the beginning is a bit risky; it would be ideal to bring him on later when quality is needed. He can play Politano's role on the wing.'
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