180 minutes of tracking back, covering and intelligent interventions have confirmed the value of a player like Marco Parolo at Euro 2016. The all-action midfielder has become a precious ace in Antonio Conte’s hand during the tournament. He repaid his coach’s faith against Belgium and Sweden with his only regret being that he narrowly missed out on his first international goal seven minutes before Eder scored the winner against Sweden and put Italy into the last 16: “I’ve licence to attack”, he said at the press conference, “the boss asks us midfielders to get in the box in order to create a numerical advantage. I’m putting myself near the goal. I hit the bar against Sweden and I hope that sooner or later I’ll get on the score sheet.”
Along with Emanuele Giaccherini, Parolo ran the joint-furthest of any Italy player during the first two games (12,570m vs. Belgium, 11,877 vs. Sweden). It’s to be expected from someone who comes from a family of cyclists and who, in his own words, has running in his blood: “I like my position.”, he confessed, “You often have to do unseen work which requires complete concentration. I’m enjoying these championships; we can feel a lot of excitement around us and this motivates us. We’re in a tournament that allows us to work really hard, the stadia are wonderful and my relatives were also excited to come here. You can see that people want to enjoy the football and forget about certain fears.”
Eight years ago, Parolo was still playing in the Lega Pro and dreaming of the day he would join the ranks of players like Steven Gerrard and Marco Tardelli (“it’s a comparison that makes me proud, he could do everything”). Today, he’s one of Italy’s best midfielders but he has maintained the humility and the hunger that allowed a young player to emerge despite often seeming like the exact opposite of the modern footballing superstar: “I’m a reserved person,” he said, “and I don’t like being on social media. Going along unnoticed and giving the team a helping hand is better. I’ve often been criticised during my career only to then be appreciated later. The secret had been to always believe that I could raise my standard.”
Victories over Belgium and Sweden built up the squad’s confidence (“They were two difficult games, we approached them in the right manner and gave little away) and a third win over the Republic of Ireland could provide a further psychological boost: “Winning helps you to win,” he said as he repeated one of the coach’s slogans. “Finishing the group with nine points would be a sign of strength and character. We will approach the game in the right way, we want to take the three points. Compared to the past, the average standard of the tournament has increased. There are no more national teams which lie down and every team pays great attention to tactics. Almost all of the players here at Euro 2016 compete in the top leagues.”
The group’s togetherness has put individual ability into the background, but Italy aren’t lacking in talent. “If Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi had scored Eder’s goal then it would have been considered as one of the best at the European Championship, it would have made headlines. There are lots of players in our squad who can make a difference, perhaps the fact that we don’t identify ourselves around a single player is an advantage.”
Parolo repeated Antonio Conte’s call to the fans: “Against Belgium there were lots of people who cheered us on, even in the warm-up. The boss is right, it would really hit you to arrive at the stadium and see a sea of blue. We should be able to do that always and in every sport, you need passion and a sense of belonging. I too call on everyone to wear the blue shirt because like that you can understand that we are Italians and that we believe in what we are doing. We must attract the people with the enthusiasm and spirit that we are showing on the pitch.” This spirit also rears itself in the team’s group chat. “We have a group chat and we enjoy ourselves, Sirigu is the biggest joker out of everyone but there are some other jokers as well.”
Photo: figc.it