At 02:45 CET on October 3rd, Italy will travel to France for the third matchday of the UEFA Nations League group stage. Ahead of the match, Italian defender Alessandro Bastoni attended a press conference.

I have a question here. Everything seems to be carefully prepared for Zinedine Zidane's debut as France's head coach, which is creating strong momentum domestically. Meanwhile, in the three World Cups Italy has missed, France won one, reached a final once, and finished fourth once. So there's clearly a gap in the minds of French people between the two teams. My question is: what role does Italy have to play here? Because it feels like we're being treated like lambs to the slaughter.

It's clear we have a glorious and important football history, so it's impossible for us to just go through the motions. In my view, we're a quality team at the beginning of a new journey. I believe our main focus right now shouldn't be on other teams too much, but on finding our own identity and style. You should be able to watch us on TV and instinctively say, "Look, that's Italy!" I believe we have the qualities to achieve great success.

As the coach has said, we're at the start of a new journey, so we need patience and to accept mistakes. But I believe that from tomorrow night onwards, everyone's heart will be filled with confidence and determination to fight.

I'd like to ask Alessandro: what did that night in Zenica—when we lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup playoff—leave with you? Are you playing more calmly now? Have you completely put everything from the past behind you?

To be honest, I've always played with calmness, really. My attitude toward the pitch has never changed. That night left me feeling sad and bitter, but I think it's part of the growth process for every top professional footballer: leaving past mistakes behind and learning from them. That's what I've done, and what I've been trying to do ever since the Bosnia and Herzegovina match. We can't control the past, but we can control the present and shape the future, and that's what I'm fully focused on.

Hello. On this pitch, the French national team underwent a profound cultural transformation in 1998 and has since been deeply integrated with the entire nation. This Italian squad is undergoing a similar profound change. After spending several weeks together in this group, I'd like to know how this new cultural diversity is influencing or changing the team's atmosphere, player behavior, and how they interact with each other?

Yes, it's certainly enriching and nourishing. But truthfully, we're already familiar with this at club level. There are many foreign players at Inter, so you have to adapt to their rhythms and habits. But that's something we're happy to do, because as you say, communicating and interacting with people who have different lifestyles can often make us better. So I think that's a very positive aspect.

The night before the match, knowing you'll face one of the world's strongest wingers in Olise, what are your thoughts?

My thoughts the night before a match are quite routine, just like before all the other games we've played. I think we're all used to competing at this level now. But I'd emphasize that regardless of the opposing player we'll face, what I always prioritize first is the form of our Italian national team. People tend to focus on studying the opponent and thinking about them, but I believe our main task right now is to focus on ourselves. Only our continuous development and improvement will allow us to achieve the goals we've set for the future.

I have a question for Alessandro. I want to know if you felt attacked and criticized excessively after the February incident with Juventus and the March incident in Zenica? Did you feel scapegoated beyond the scope of your responsibility? Did you ever consider leaving the Italian national team or withdrawing from Italian football?

Listen, to be honest, I absolutely don't want to be a victim, okay? Because that's not my intention at all, and it's the last thing I want to do. This is part of our profession. When you perform well, you get praised, and when bad situations happen, people attack you.

But that's normal. In football, whether good or bad, people forget quickly. So, as I said before, the only thing I can decide and do is move forward, walk my own path, hold onto my values, and never let a single incident from a nearly 10-year career define or judge me. No, I've never thought about leaving or going away.

Tomorrow night you'll face France, and France has O. Dembélé on the wing. Alessandro Bastoni, as a defender, how will you defend against a player who can both create and finish?

Given our recent performance (Inter lost to Paris Saint-Germain 0-5 in the 2024 UEFA Champions League final), I'd probably be the last person you should ask for advice on how to defend against O. Dembélé! (laughs) It's not easy. He's an amazing superstar, like every player in their attacking line. We need to put in an excellent overall performance defensively, and that requires all 11 players on the pitch to be involved. But I think the only way to trouble France is to play our own football—not fear possession of the ball. So I believe the key to making a difference lies in playing our own possession-based attacking game.

Alessandro, I'd like to follow up on my colleague's question about O. Dembélé. You've faced O. Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé at club level with Inter Milan. What impressed you most about them when you encountered them at your club?

Everything about them impressed me greatly. Unfortunately, everyone knows what happened and how that night ended. It was perhaps the worst night we've ever experienced, and for them it was perfect. So all I can hope for is that the story of that night doesn't repeat itself tomorrow. I want to emphasize that it will take an outstanding effort 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 an excellent match in Bursa—at least that's my assessment. Did this effectively counter the narrative that "Alessandro Bastoni doesn't suit a back-four system; while he's good at playmaking and pushing forward, his defensive ability is weak"? Can you play in a back four as comfortably as you do in the back three at Inter Milan?

Look, to be frank, I haven't seen many "bad players" who can play for Inter Milan for 10 years and win multiple trophies. I'm telling you straightforwardly—not out of arrogance or exaggeration—but maybe in Italy we're too good at criticizing ourselves, aren't we? So I think this tendency really needs to change. Everyone should appreciate and value our domestic players more. Because when you go abroad, you don't often see such large gaps. I want to emphasize that I've never liked assessing myself; I leave that to others and I accept anyone's criticism. But I'm very confident in my abilities, and I will stay firmly on my own path.

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