The Under-21 National team will take to the pitch tomorrow afternoon to face Romania in a friendly, with kick-off at the Stadio Benito Stirpe in Frosinone scheduled for 17:30 CET. Meanwhile, the Azzurrini’s European qualifying opponents will be in action: current table-toppers Sweden are set to take on the Republic of Ireland away from home, while Montenegro will face Bosnia on the road. One eye will inevitably be on these games in the hope that Ireland will do Italy a favour.

“We know what our qualities are,” said Head Coach Paolo Nicolato. “However, we also know our weaknesses. We need to be able to bring in players that can create competition for places. This is required because it’s difficult to imagine carry on doing what we’ve been doing in the last three months, when we’ve fielded very similar sides. This is especially the case when we play three games in quick succession, as we will during the decisive period next year that will see us come up against Sweden and Ireland.”

The match against Romania won’t be a meaningless one for Nicolato: “For someone like myself, who has made his way up from amateur football, friendlies don’t exist. I believe in work and that every moment is an opportunity to display your qualities and improve.”

Nicolato has already decided who will play tomorrow: “The players have been hungry and determined in training. However, the qualities they possess will obviously be key because if desire and determination were enough, I would have played in Serie A too. During the latest training camp, I’ve seen the so-called non-starters grow, and I hope that this will continue in March and June as well.

“Against Romania, I intend to continue with the same system. We’ll have to see if we’re able to do the same things, but the idea is to aim for continuity in terms of attitude and philosophy, certainly with the new players. From experience, I know that things can go wrong when you play many new faces, but I’m currently interested in taking a look at players and giving the lads the opportunity to do their talking on the pitch.”

Nicolato finished by talking about Tonali, who could take to the field for the senior side this evening: “The fact that he’s held in such high regard in the senior setup is a sign of his quality. I remember gladly giving him his Under-18 debut in France because I could see his great qualities. He’s shown constant improvement, so I’m very happy for him, as I am for all the others who come up through the ranks.”