At 02:45 CET on October 3, Italy will face France away in the third round of the UEFA Nations League group stage. Ahead of the match, Italian defender Bastoni attended a press conference.

I have a question: everything here feels carefully prepared for Zinedine Zidane's home debut as coach, which has generated a very strong local reaction. Meanwhile, France won one World Cup, reached the final in another, and finished fourth in a third—all during a period when Italy missed three World Cups. So you could say that from France's perspective, there's a certain gap between the two teams, which I think is normal. My question is: what role does Italy come here to play this time? Because it seems like we're being treated like lambs ready for slaughter...

Clearly, we have a football history that is far too glorious and significant to just come and go through the motions. In my opinion, we're a team with very high quality, currently at the start of a new journey. I believe our main task right now isn't to focus too much on the other team, but to find our own identity and style, isn't it? You should be able to watch the match on TV and instinctively shout: "Look, that's Italy!" I believe we have the quality to achieve great things.

As the head coach said, we're at the beginning of a new journey, so we need patience and room to make mistakes. But I believe that starting tomorrow night, everyone's heart will be filled with confidence and a strong desire to fight.

I'd like to ask Alessandro, how did you feel after that night in Zenica (Italy's World Cup playoff loss to Bosnia)? Are you playing more calmly now? Have you put all that behind you?

To be honest, I've always played calmly; truly, the way I approach the field hasn't changed. That night certainly left me with immense sadness and bitterness, but I believe that's part of the growth process for every elite professional player: leaving past mistakes behind and learning from them. I think that's what I've done, and what I've been working toward since that match against Bosnia. We can't control the past, but we can control the present and shape the future, and that's where my focus is.

Good evening. In this stadium, France's team transformed into a multicultural side in 1998, and then became deeply connected with the entire nation. Italy's national team is now undergoing a similar profound transformation. I'd like to know—after spending several weeks together in this collective—has this new multicultural perspective influenced or changed the team's atmosphere, players' behavior, and their interactions?

Yes, it's truly enriching and healthy. But we're already accustomed to this at club level, where there are many foreign players. So you need to adapt to their rhythms and habits, but that's something we very much want to do. Because, as you said, frequent interactions and clashes with people from different backgrounds can make us better. So I think this is a very positive aspect.

Ahead of tomorrow's match, knowing you'll face one of the world's strongest wingers, Ousmane Dembele, what's your mindset?

The mindset going into a match is really quite normal—the same as all our previous match preparations. I think we're all used to competing at this elite level now. But I'll say it again, regardless of the opposing players we'll face, my main focus is always on Italy's national team performance. People often study the opposition and think about them, but I believe our priority right now is to focus on ourselves. Because only through continuous improvement and refinement of our own game can we achieve the goals we've set for the future.

I have a question for Alessandro. I want to know if you feel you've been overly targeted and criticized after the incidents in February against Juventus and in March in Zenica? Do you feel persecuted beyond your own responsibility? Have you ever considered retiring from the Italian national team or leaving Italian football?

Look, to be honest, I don't want to play the victim at all, okay? That's not my intention, and it's the last thing I want to do. It's part of our profession; when you play well, you're praised; when bad things happen, people attack you.

But that's normal; in football, good or bad, people quickly move on. So, as I said before, the only thing I can decide and do is keep moving forward, follow my own path, uphold the values I've always had, and never let one unexpected moment in an almost 10-year career define or judge me. No, I've never thought about retiring or leaving.

Tomorrow night you'll play against France, and France has Ousmane Dembele on their wing, Alessandro Bastoni. As a defender, how do you defend against a player who can both orchestrate play and finish it himself?

Given what happened in our last meeting (Inter Milan's 0-5 loss to PSG in the 2024 Champions League final), I'm probably the last person you should ask for advice on how to defend against Dembele (laughs)! Of course it's not easy. He's an exceptional superstar, like all his teammates in the forward line. We have to put in a collective defensive masterclass, and that requires all 11 players on the pitch. But I think the only way to make it difficult for France is to play our own football, not be afraid to control the ball. Therefore, I believe the key to making a difference lies in how we control possession in our attacking phase.

Alessandro, I'd like to add to my colleague's question about Ousmane Dembele. You've faced both Dembele and Désiré Doucé at club level with Inter Milan. What impressed you most about them when you faced them at your club?

Everything about them impressed me. Unfortunately, everyone knows what happened and how that night ended. It was probably the worst night we've ever experienced, and for them, it was a perfect night. So the only thing I can hope for is that tonight's script doesn't repeat itself tomorrow. I'll say it again—that requires an extraordinary performance from everyone on the team, because we're facing two of the top five players in the world right now.

I have a direct question for Alessandro. You played brilliantly in Bursa—at least that's my assessment. Does this effectively break the cliché about you—that "Bastoni doesn't suit a back-four system; while he's good at organizing and building from the back, his defensive ability is lacking"? Can you feel as comfortable in a back four as you do in Inter Milan's back three?

Look, to be honest, I haven't seen many "poor defenders" who can play for Inter Milan for 10 years and win numerous trophies. I say this honestly, not to boast or exaggerate, but perhaps in Italy we're very good at criticizing ourselves, aren't we? So I think this trend really needs to change; everyone should appreciate and value our great Italian players more. Because when you go abroad, you don't always see such a big gap. I'll say it again, I've never liked evaluating myself; I leave that to others, and I accept criticism from anyone. But I'm very confident in my abilities, and I will firmly follow my own path.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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