In matchday 3 of the UEFA Nations League A, France drew with Italy 1-1 at home. After the match, Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu spoke to reporters in the mixed zone.

On the Match:

Given the final result and the chances we created, it's natural to feel some regret, and that's fair. However, tonight we'll try to focus on the positives and look ahead, because we have another match coming up very soon.

Bastoni said yesterday that Italy would have a difficult task against you. And today he scored—does that bother you?

Personally, I don't really like to comment on opponents. In other words, I didn't pay much attention to what he said beforehand. Congratulations to him for achieving what he wanted—he scored a goal. But on the pitch, we're always ready to fight. That's true for any opponent.

What does the team need to improve for the next match against Belgium?

I need to review the match, but I think it could be our fluidity in attack. We need to be a bit more fluid going forward. Also, it's difficult to compare directly because these two matches will be completely different. Belgium will press differently and favor a more aggressive attacking approach, so it's more complicated.

We saw a lot of impatience and tension on the pitch, particularly with Dayot Upamecano's red card. Do you think the atmosphere at that moment—including Zidane's return to Stade de France—influenced the result?

No, in my opinion those were simply incidents that happen during a match. And honestly, I don't completely agree with either yellow card decision. Those were just situations that occur in football, and they happen. It had nothing to do with external factors. We were all delighted to be at Stade de France, and personally I was even more excited because it was my first time playing there. But that's all there is to it.

Overall, the team pushed up very high. What instructions did the coach give the fullbacks regarding the high press and the overall attacking approach?

With this pressing style, we wanted to push the line high and press the opponent as high as possible, as you mentioned. For the fullbacks, our main instruction was man-marking. To force them into long balls, and we know we're strong in one-on-one situations and physical duels, which allows us to win those balls back and launch attacks immediately. I think we executed that very well tonight, and I'm pleased you noticed and mentioned it.

Pierre, hesitation in the final moments today was costly—for example, holding the ball too long or lacking decisiveness in finishing. Is that the next urgent area to fix?

That's a fair analysis. In our final moments, especially in finishing, we could have been sharper. I take responsibility; I remember a shot where I felt I could have acted quicker, more decisively, more instinctively. Those are areas we need to reflect on and improve. That said, when facing a team that always has four or five defenders in the box during defense, the final moments become very difficult. You need perfect timing and vision, but overall I agree with what you've said.

One final question: do you think Italy truly played in a very typical "Italian style" today, as Zidane suggested before the match?

From my experience in this competition, their defence is excellent. Outstanding defence, very well-organized and extremely tight. So if that's characteristic of Italian football, then yes, absolutely. In attack, I don't think they played in the style we see in Serie A domestically, but that was their tactical plan, and it really worked for them.

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