Three years ago, Lorenzo Pellegrini's European dream ended before it even began. A muscle injury prevented him from taking part in the competition that Italy won at Wembley, giving the Azzurri the chance to go into this tournament in Germany as reigning European champions. Italy want to defend that title with all its might, and the defence starts again at Monday's match in Leipzig against Croatia, with Spalletti's team coming into the game on the back of a victory against Albania and a defeat to Spain.

"We've tried to study the match against Spain; what we did wrong and where we could have done better," Pellegrini commented to Vivo Azzurro TV, the FIGC's OTT platform available on the App Store, Google Play and on the website www.vivoazzurrotv.it, during Casa Azzurri Live Germany, the daily show broadcast from Iserlohn. "We play for Italy and therefore, especially when it may seem that things aren't certain, that is the time where we all have to give something more. We will take the game on with the same mentality as always, looking to dominate and go for the win." The Roma midfielder and national team number 10 does not speak of redemption, or even failure: "Certain things happen in life: if you are strong mentally and balanced, you discover that they can also provide you something extra. For this reason, I don't talk about redemption, but about doing what we didn't do against Spain better, and where we didn't play at a standard worthy of Italy."

Italy know what they have to do to go through to the round of 16 at EURO 2024: against Croatia, all they need is to not lose to finish as runners-up in Group B. "But this doesn't interests us," replied Pellegrini. "We don't want to think too much about this: instead, we want to think about being balanced, putting the national team shirt before everything. We didn't show this against Spain, but we represent Italy, our people, and this must lead us to do something more." The defeat to Spain did not dampen the enthusiasm of the fans: "I believe their closeness is vital, and it's what we also look for in our relationship with them, always being within their reach. This is a very important thing and we hold it close. The passion of the Italian people is not often found in other nations."

Italian fans who will not be missing the game with Croatia either: "A strong, experienced, quality opponent, with players who know how to win the ball back and others who know how to keep hold of the ball. The point of reference must be our mentality".

The full interview with Pellegrini is on Vivo Azzurro TV.

Pellegrini also gave an interview to UEFA.com, in which he also spoke about the responsibility of being number 10 of the national team, as well as captain of Roma: "Let's say that one of my objectives is to try to convey my personality, my peace of mind, to my teammates, because these are games that bring out different emotions from those you experience with a club. It is a factor that was missing against Spain and it must never happen again because the time to bring out the better from each of us is now." Among the opponents, there's also a champion in Luka Modric: "An exceptional player, I certainly don't have to say that, he is his own creator. We are talking about an incredible footballer, with impressive quality but not only that. He also has a great personality, you can always count on him in a difficult moment: for this reason, I believe he is a model for many players."