Concentrated gazes, heads held high so as not to lose sight of the goal and a few smiles here and there to dampen the tension and show - even in front of the cameras - that the team is more united than ever. After a month of training and having benefited from a day off to recharge their batteries, with this morning's FIFA filming and photography, the National Women's team has definitely entered the World Cup climate. Two days to the opening match between New Zealand and Norway, and six to the challenge against Argentina (live on Rai 1 at 09:00 CEST) that will kick off the tournament for the Azzurre. Eden Park in Auckland, the home of the All Blacks, will be the setting for both fixtures.

Cecilia Salvia, interviewed in today’s press conference, described the atmosphere within the group, that they cannot wait to put the last few weeks of work into practice. “We have formed great chemistry, on and off the pitch - said the Juventus defender -it’s true that we feel a bit out of the loop, we’re upside down in all respects, but we are enjoying this journey in a wonderful place. I am extremely proud and happy to be here: Like my teammates, I can’t wait till 24 July!”

Despite having missed both the 2019 World Cup and last year's European Championships due to an ACL injury, Italy's number 23 does not want to hear about personal revenge. Her nature is to live in the present without recriminations: "I'm living this adventure as if I were a young player at her first tournament - she added - the desire I have is the same as all my teammates, even those who were there four years ago. It will be crucial to start off on the right foot. It's the first game of the round that gives the momentum, positive or negative. It will be the most important one and we definitely want to bring home the result."

In a national team that can count on many leaders, starting with the captain Cristiana Girelli and without forgetting the other nine Azzurre who made an entire country dream during the tournament in France, Salvai has carved out an important space for herself. At 29 years of age (46 appearances in the Azzurri), she is ready to play a leading role in the tournament, just as Italy hope to do. 'You will see a team that is very offensive but at the same time careful and quick to regroup in the defensive phase. The level is very high, there is great competition in every position and this pushes us to give our best in every training session. None of us thinks we are here just to participate. We are aiming high and this will help us along the way.

From her dream of facing Megan Rapinoe’s United States (“maybe it’s crazy but I’d like to”) to her mother hen role with the youngsters in the group (like Dragoni, Beccari and Severini, who just today turned 20 years old), Salvai ended the conference analysing the work Bertolini has put in. Starting with the training sessions with regard to the difficult choices she faces for the match against Argentina. "They have several players who play in Europe and who are the focal points of their teams," she concluded, "they are fearsome, especially in attack. The defence will have to be very careful. Our offensive department is really strong and in my opinion, we can hurt Argentina. We are preparing a lot from a technical-tactical point of view, this is the best way to create the right habits. We have been working for months on setting up with the three-man defence and it is a new push for all of us. It's giving us great satisfaction. We are happy, charged up and counting down the days until the start of the World Cup.”