Chiesa: “A shocking start, but a positive finish against Albania”

Federico Chiesa believes Italy finished positively in their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Albania.  The Juventus winger was voted man of the match in the Azzurri’s Euro 2024 opener, with the goals coming from Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella. After the match, Chiesa spoke about the teams’ performance, explaining the aspects he thinks they need to improve on:

“We started like the last final against England, but just like against them, we dominated the game,” Chiesa said. “The goal gave us a jolt. The coach wants us to keep our game high, and we need to improve, but as a start, we’re there.”

Chiesa acknowledged the challenge ahead, stating, “Now we have Spain, who are a great team. The start was shocking, but the end was positive.”

The Italian winger praised the team’s ability to implement their training-ground work, saying, “We did what we practice in training, but we need to be more clinical in front of the goalkeeper.”

Chiesa recognized the potential for setbacks in major tournaments, adding, “In these big tournaments, things can go wrong for you, and the result was a bit harsh on us.”

Addressing concerns about his fitness, Chiesa said, “I took a knock to the back, but everything is fine.”

The Italian winger also discussed his versatility, stating, “The coach had asked me to be available to play on the right, and in the last European Championship, I always played there. I feel comfortable in that position.”