Azzurri midfielder Davide Frattesi spoke ahead of their match with Spain, expressing his respect for Rodri, who he thinks is the best in the world.
Why does spalletti often call him back?
“It’s fine, it means the coach believes in me. Then from the outside you see the game better, sometimes we don’t realize the best position to take and he tries to give you a hand and advice. When the opponents are pinned back he asks me to get out of the traffic and widen so as to have more space.”
The political stance taken by Thuram and Mbappe with France
“I believe it’s right for a person to express themselves, everyone must uphold their ideals. But I haven’t really followed the story that much, honestly. I focused on the game. It’s right that everyone is free to express what they want with respect for all.”
Compared to Albania, will you have more space against Spain?
“Yes, I think so. With Spain there will definitely be more space, just as there will be more defending to do.”
You play more for the national team than at inter, where you always come on as a sub: how do you explain that?
“It’s never easy in the first year to fit into an environment and a team that comes off a Champions League final. I believe my management by coach Inzaghi was right. Clearly here I started right away with Spalletti, ever since he arrived, so we had more time to learn the mechanisms. Starting right away with him was an added element.”
A luxury reserve at inter and a starter for the national team: how do you feel about it personally?
“I have to put the National team jersey under the Inter one (laughs). I repeat what I said before: Inzaghi’s was the right management in my opinion, then it’s clear that everyone always tries to play as much as possible, but when you’re called upon you have to always give your best.”
What do you expect to be different against Spain?
“We will certainly have less possession than against Albania, that’s their strong point, we’ll have to be more attentive defensively even if, unlike Albania, they won’t shut up shop for 90 minutes. We have to be good at taking advantage of the chances that come our way.”
There’s a lot of talk about the Inter block
“The fact that we were together for a year certainly helps, often there’s no need to talk to understand things. As well as the combinations with Scamacca, we already know what we have to do. We bring a bit of what we did at Inter here.”
Lamine Yamal and Spain’s strengths
“We’re not just discovering Yamal now, he’s destined to become a great of world football. Spain’s strengths have been the same for years, possession phase and passing. We’ll have to be good at taking advantage of the chances because Spain won’t give us many.”
Does playing less at Inter allow you to be more rested?
“More or less… The tiring thing about a year like this is more the travel than anything. The more you’re on the pitch the more you’re in condition, you only get mentally tired because you get in good shape when you play the games.”
How do you spend time in camp?
“Did I bring anything from Rome, even superstitiously? I brought Scamacca… (laughs). Here we spend most of the time in this room they made for us guys where there are PlayStations, pool, pinball. We’re there a couple hours all together and in my opinion it’s a great thing, that’s where the group is formed. I happened to play ping-pong with a teammate I didn’t have much rapport with, Stephan El Shaarawy, and that’s how the relationship started. I don’t play with Scamacca because he blasts all the balls, he’s better at PlayStation.”
How does your way of playing change compared to Inter?
“I think it changes more defensively, I play a bit deeper when we have to defend. Then the role is the same as Inter’s, as an attacking midfielder I push up: here we don’t have two strikers, we have one, but we have two wingers who can pull the man away.”
How can Italy beat Spain?
“Especially at this moment, without beating around the bush, I think Spain are ahead of us. We have to know how to suffer, know how to fight, this is fundamental. If we make it about one-on-one duels the game is difficult, very difficult.”
Your role models?
“Simone Perrotta, but also Claudio Marchisio: these are the two role models I look at to also understand the positions to take on the pitch.”
Spain’s best midfielder?
“I think Rodri is the strongest midfielder in the world.”
In the national team the midfielders are called on to score more based on how we play
“I think those are characteristics, it shouldn’t be a burden. Scamacca in the last three months has shown he can score goals on any occasion, as soon as a chance comes up I’m sure he’ll take it. It’s said this National team is missing a #9 and instead we have one.”
Spoken to Inzaghi and Marotta in these days?
“No, with the coach and Marotta we only said hello, then we’ll hear from the coach again.”
Did you watch Spain-Croatia?
“Every game then has to be reviewed, Spain was 3-0 up and didn’t really need possession. Maybe there’s a more modern version of Spain, fundamentally it no longer has those three phenomenons in midfield who ten years ago made the whole team turn and never let you have the ball. It’s a more modern version.”
