A player’s first international call-up is often an unforgettable feeling, duly making the National Team’s upcoming friendlies against Argentina and England even more special for Federico Chiesa and Patrick Cutrone. The two Azzurri forwards, born in 1997 and 1998 respectively, will be eager to play their part in the squad’s resurgence following Italy’s play-off elimination to Sweden last November.
With both players coming through the National Team’s Youth set-up, Cutrone and Chiesa have each earned their call-ups thanks to some top performances with their respective clubs. Having already taken part in the training camp for emerging youth prospects, the ACF Fiorentina winger is well aware of what life is like at Coverciano, while the AC Milan attacker is instead enjoying a brand new experience. He is accustomed to his coach, however, with Luigi Di Biagio previously handing Cutrone his Under-21 debut six months ago: “I’m 20-years-old and I haven’t stopped dreaming,” said the Rossoneri striker during today’s press conference. “Last year I was in the Primavera and I didn’t think I’d be here now. I’ve always tried to give my all during training and I want to thank all the coaches that have helped me reach this point, whether that be those from the Academy, or Montella and Gattuso. Just being included is a dream come true, although I now hope to make my debut with the National Team. We’ll see what the coach does but I hope to give him something to think about.”
Full of hunger and desire, Cutrone is intent on fulfilling his ambition: “This is a great opportunity for me and I’ll try to make the most of it. Maybe I am similar to Gennaro Gattuso in terms of grit and character.” His Rossoneri career has flown by since making his Serie A debut and scoring his first goals in Europe and it will now see him possibly come up against one of his idols, Lionel Messi: “He’s a player from the PlayStation and one that truly represents football. I’m very excited to see him up close.”
Among Cutrone’s many admirers is Federico Chiesa, who today sat next to him during today’s press conference: “From what I’ve seen so far, he has a splendid career ahead of him. He has great potential,” said Chiesa. “As for myself, I still have a lot to improve on and I must demonstrate my worth and development in certain situations. It’s important to be here today and I must learn from the coach and my teammates.” Despite coming from a footballing legacy, Chiesa is keen to stress that his own work has been the main thing in getting him where he is today: “I’m focused only on football and training is the most important thing for me. I am here today thanks to the work I’ve put in over the last two years. Having had a father who was a footballer was important because he gave me the right advice. My parents helped me stay focused on football.”
Since making his debut against Juventus on the first day of last season, the Fiorentina winger has since become a key figure within Pioli’s starting XI: “I learnt a lot under Sousa last year, from both a technical and tactical point of view. This year I am now learning how to play both in attack and defence, learning not to waste my energy. I cope better with the 90 minutes now.” The match in Manchester will also see him take on Messi for the first time: “I played against Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu and it seemed like make-believe. When you say, Messi, you think of football, he has no defects. It will be exciting to play against him.”
Just recently, the youngster and his Viola teammates had to deal with the tragic passing of their captain Davide Astori: “There aren’t words to describe what happened. It was an immense and unexpected tragedy. He was a really important teammate for me. Over the past two years, he really helped me feel a part of the group. He gave me the right advice when I needed it. I miss him hugely, but I must now react after this difficult period, particularly for him. He wanted to see strong and determined players, who gave everything for the shirt and were 100 percent committed.”
As for overcoming the Azzurri’s previous failure to advance past their play-off, Chiesa is now optimistic: “It is obviously sad that Italy will not be in the World Cup,” he concluded. “It’ll be extremely strange. But there is not a feeling of fear or pressure. We are all ready for another cycle.”
Squad list
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), Mattia Perin (Genoa);
Defenders: Leonardo Bonucci (Milan), Matteo Darmian (Manchester United), Mattia De Sciglio (Juventus), Gian Marco Ferrari (Sampdoria), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Angelo Obinze Ogbonna (West Ham), Daniele Rugani (Juventus), Leonardo Spinazzola (Atalanta), Davide Zappacosta (Chelsea);
Midfielders: Giacomo Bonaventura (Milan), Bryan Cristante (Atalanta), Roberto Gagliardini (Inter), Jorge Luiz Frello Jorginho (Napoli), Marco Parolo (Lazio), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain);
Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Antonio Candreva (Inter), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Patrick Cutrone (Milan), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Simone Verdi (Bologna).
Staff – Coach: Luigi Di Biagio; Assistant Coaches: Massimo Mutarelli and Carmine Nunziata; National Youth Teams Co-Ordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Fitness Coaches: Vito Azzone and Giovanni Brignardello; Goalkeeping Coaches: Antonio Chimenti and Gianluca Spinelli; Match Analyst: ntonio Gagliardi e Filippo Lorenzon; FIGC Doctors: Enrico Castellacci and Carmine Costabile; Masseurs/Physios: Emanuele Randelli, Fabrizio Scalzi, Maurizio Fagorzi, Alfonso Casano; Osteopath: Walter Martinelli.
The Schedule
Wednesday 21st March
10:00 Training (CLOSED)
13:30 Press Conference (Players)
15:30 Training (Open to the media for the first 15 minutes)
Thursday 22nd March
10:00 Training MD-1
16:45 Charter flight from Manchester to London
18:15 GMT Arrive in Manchester e transfer all’ Etihad Stadium
19:00 GMT. Pitch inspection**
19:15 GMT Press conference MD-1 (Coach and one player)**
Friday 23rd March
19.00 GMT ARGENTINA vs. ITALY Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG); Ass.1: Lee Betts (ENG); Ass.2: Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG) ; Fourth Official.: Craig Pawson (ENG)
To follow Post-match media activities, return to hotel
Saturday 24th March
11:00 GMT Training at MCFC Sport Centre (Closed)
Sunday 25th March
10:00 GMT Press conference (players)**
11:00 GMT Training at MCFC Sport Centre (Open to the media for the first 15 minutes)**
Monday 26th March
10:30 GMT Training at MCFC Sport Centre (Closed)
17:30 GMT Charter flight from Manchester to London Luton
18:30 GMT Scheduled arrival at Luton and transfer to Wembley Stadium
19:30 GMT Pitch inspection**
19:45 GMT Press conference MD-1 (Coach and one player)**
Tuesday 27th March
20:00 England vs. Italy
Post-match media activity and return to Italy to follow
Note
** Reserved to accredited media for the Argentina and England matches.
Source: figc.it