After losing his debut game during a friendly against France, Gian Piero Ventura has now led his Italy side to three wins and a draw during his opening five fixtures as coach. He will now prepare his team for their forthcoming friendly against Germany on Tuesday, although he can briefly enjoy top spot alongside Spain in the group.
The head coach had previously instructed his Azzurri side not to underestimate Liechtenstein and his squad responded in the right manner, all but securing the result before the half-time whistle: “In the first half we scored four goals and we also had other chances to score,” said Ventura. “But I am fully satisfied. I would have accepted a win like this before the match. A fifth goal could have then led to many more, but the fact that we still had six players attacking in the 94th minute shows that everyone was willing to contribute.
After scoring his first Italy goal in FYR Macedonia, Andrea Belotti scored his first brace. “Like lots of other young players, I’m giving everything in training and in matches in the knowledge that this is a dream for us. It was the first game with the new formation and we saw good things but we can obviously improve. There’s some regret we didn’t score more but we gave everything.”
The ‘Gallo’ also picked up an assist and the chemistry between the two forwards is clear. “Me and Andrea played together with the manager last year and that’s made it easier,” admitted Immobile. “We were able to score four in the first half and we could have scored more in the second but we weren’t ruthless enough in front of goal. 4-0 is ok, the important thing was not to underestimate the opponent and we have to go again from this point.”
Leonardo Bonucci’s analysis was thoughtful as usual after he played alongside Alesssio Romagnoli with Chiellini and Barzagli out. “It was a game of two halves, we started well but in the second we were too wasteful and not concentrated enough. It’s still a good start to the group though.” Davide Zappacosta made his debut in Vaduz: “It’s a moment I’ve dreamed of a lot. I ran a lot but I need to improve my crossing, this has to be a starting point as I keep my feet on the ground and give 100 percent.”
