After their draw with Belgium in Rome, the Azzurri are now looking ahead to their second home match in the Nations League. Spalletti’s men, who will train at the Federal Technical Centre this afternoon, are set to face Israel at the Friuli in Udine on Monday. The objective is to pick up that victory which slipped away two days ago at the Olimpico and take an important step towards the Nations League quarter-finals.

The match against Israel is vital because we want to remain top of the group,” said Davide Frattesi in a press conference today. “Picking up three points would allow us to try some things we didn’t think would be possible at the start of the competition. It’ll be a tough match because they’re a good team with good players. If we go in front, we’ll need to manage our lead well, something we didn’t do all too well in the reverse fixture after conceding an avoidable goal.”

The leading figure in the side in terms of appearances (16) and goals (six) since Spalletti took over, the Inter midfielder is at the heart of the current project. The Head Coach believes in him, as shown by his constant presence in the side. “When we came back in September, I spoke to the Coach in the gym. He told me that he held me in high regard, but I’d be the one who he’d bother the most. Now, the criticisms are going away a bit because I’m doing more of what he’s asking of me. When he came here and said that the Euros were 99% his fault, I didn’t agree. We know that he wasn’t the only one to blame. He could have been more light-hearted, but we were the ones on the pitch. For players like us, not being able to put two passes together was incomprehensible.”

In the wins over France and Israel, but also in the draw against Belgium, the team showed what it’s all about. The complete opposite of the side that was eliminated by Switzerland in the round of 16 of the European Championship: “In Germany, there was so much external pressure, and we ended up putting this pressure on ourselves. We didn’t have fun on the pitch. Spending so many days in an environment that wasn’t as joyful and friendly as it is now affected every player’s performance. We showed strength in beating France and during those 40 minutes against Belgium. It means we’re on the right path.”

It’s disappointing that Pellegrini’s red card changed the course of the match against the Belgians: “Lorenzo is a great person, there’s no doubt about that. He’s a strong player, too. I thought he did well against Belgium. It’s not an easy time for him, and I hope with all my heart that he gets out of this situation.” Another Giallorossi man, Niccolò Pisilli, is a new face in the squad: “He has a good head on his shoulders, and things can only go well for him. I hope he has a long career at Roma, and that could push the club to focus on young Italians because they’re there and they’re good.”

Frattesi’s final comments were on World Cup qualification: “The World Cup shouldn’t be an obsession, but it sort of is because we can’t miss out on it again. We’re taking the Nations League very seriously because it impacts the seedings for the draw. We’ll do everything to finish top so that we get a slightly easier draw on paper. We can’t get it wrong.”

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Michele Di Gregorio (Juventus), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham);
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Matteo Gabbia (Milan), Caleb Okoli (Leicester), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham);
Midfielders: Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle);
Forwards: Lorenzo Lucca (Udinese), Daniel Maldini (Monza), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta), Nicolò Zaniolo (Atalanta).