Speaking in the press room at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, the Italy coach confirmed that they would be up against the odds.
“We put in a great display but against Germany we’ll need an absolutely titanic performance,” the Italy tactician warned, “We’re playing the best side in the world, at the moment they’re better than Spain. They have everything a good team needs: skill, talent, physicality and organisation. We’ll look to play our aces at the opportune moments thanks to our knowledge of our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses as well as our own. A month ago, this wouldn’t have been a contest. Now we’re deservedly playing them in the quarter-finals. We’re ready to face the challenge and we’ll have to stay strong as we look to succeed with the deck stacked in their favor. But no-one is ever beaten before the match starts.”
While conceding that Italy may lack skill, they make up for it in other ways, Conte stated: “We started without much expectation surrounding the team but everyone knows us now, even abroad. It’s not the most talented era for Italian football but – thanks to hard work, organisation, and 23 great lads who play for the team and put their bodies on the line – we’re trying to overcome challenges that once seemed insurmountable. Now we have to do something extraordinary. We train to experience these moments; these are the games that can make you feel great.” After explaining that the long list of players on a yellow card is the least of the team’s worries, Conte spoke about the friendly defeat against Germany in Munich in March: “It will motivate us even more to see if the gap has widened or not since that match.”
Regarding De Rossi’s condition, Conte warned that him still may not be available. “Daniele’s in a passable condition,” Conte said, “but we won’t confirm anything more. You have to be 120% in these matches because they’re very physical and intense so you don’t just have to be fit, you have to very fit. I’ve a lot of faith in the squad as I’ve always shown. I’m happy with my starting options as well as with potential substitutes.”
The post Conte: “We’ll need an absolutely titanic performance against Germany” appeared first on IFD.
from IFD http://ift.tt/296JVRJ
via IFTTT berita selengkapnya Follow @jadwalliga
