Italy Women trained in stormy conditions today as they continued working towards their second World Cup showdown. After overcoming Argentina, up next is Sweden, who beat South Africa 2-1 in their opening match and are the big favourites to top Group G. Tomorrow, the Azzurre will carry out their final tactical preparations at Shepherds Park, while, on Friday morning, they’ll then fly to Wellington, where they’ll take on the side currently ranked third in the world at the Regional Stadium on Saturday (9:30 CEST).

The team will be looking to give everything they’ve got, just like they did against Argentina, who discovered the defensive solidity of an Italy side who have now kept four consecutive clean sheets. This is thanks to the work of the whole team and the centre-back pairing of Salvai and Linari, the latter of whom has just enjoyed a triumphant season at club level where she won the Supercoppa, Scudetto and best Serie A defender award.

The 29-year-old Roma player opened her press conference today with a few thoughts on what has been happening in Italy: “I’d like to express my solidarity with those who are suffering due to the wildfires in Sicily and the storms that have hit the north of the country. We’re far away and unfortunately can’t help in any tangible way, but we can express in words that we hope everything will be resolved quickly.”

Returning to on-the-pitch matters, Linari is confident that the team will display the same amount of determination against the Swedes as they did in the first 90 minutes of the tournament, this time with hopefully a few less nerves: “We know how good Sweden are and that it’ll be a very difficult game. We’re feeling positive after our victory on Monday, and we need to continue putting our hearts and souls into it and showing the desire to prove our worth. We’re a young team with a lot of quality, but we can’t afford to underestimate the challenge that awaits us.”

The understanding ‘Linus’ has with her teammates in defence is there for all to see, and she is ever the perfectionist: “When we concede, I can’t go to bed in a serene manner. I hope to stop our opponents from scoring, and it’d be nice to score a few more, too.” Linari speaks without hesitation, in much the same way she performs out on the pitch as she looks to beat attackers to the ball. It’s a question of character, charisma and more: “It feels very strange to be considered a leader when I wear the Italy shirt; I always feel like I’m 19 years old, the age I received my first call-up. It’s a big honour to be here, and you need to take responsibility if you want to achieve big objectives. Alongside the other veterans of the side, I make my experience available to the newcomers.”

Together with Barbara Bonansea and Manuela Giugliano, Linari has just drawn level with Federica D'Astolfo - currently on Milena Bertolini’s staff - in terms of number of World Cup starts (six). It was a milestone that was celebrated together with the whole team, who are eager to impress again: “In the last few matches, I’ve seen the National Team I know. Above all, we answered our own questions. During the Euros and towards the end of 2022, there wasn’t so much of a light-hearted feel as before. Luckily, during the Arnold Clark Cup, we looked into each other’s eyes and rediscovered ourselves thanks to the win over South Korea.”

Finally, before returning to her teammates to celebrate Benedetta Glionna’s 24th birthday, Linari thanked all the Italians who tuned in to watch the game against Argentina on TV: “We know that we helped many people experience the best start to the week,” she concluded. “Now, we want those following us to have a great Saturday morning. We’d like to thank everyone, starting from the fans, who have always stuck with us. We’re delighted with the big following and hope to get even more people interested in the women’s game.”