Italy Coach Luciano Spalletti On Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni: “He Is Completely At Ease Across Defence, Will Play Vs Germany” | OneFootball

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti has confirmed that Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni will start in the second leg of their UEFA Nations League quarter-final against Germany today.

The Azzurri travel to the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund looking to overturn a 2-1 defeat, having fallen to a late loss at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza last Thursday.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, and as reported by FCInterNews.it, ex-AS Roma, Inter, and Napoli coach Spalletti offered his thoughts on Bastoni and felt that he was comfortable playing anywhere across the defence.

Indeed, the former Atalanta man is in line to feature in a wider role in Spalletti’s defence, but the tactician was adamant that it would not be a problem for a player who often works as a centre-back.

Can I see Bastoni playing on the wing, and is he playing? The question is whether Bastoni is going to play, which he will,” Spalletti announced.

“If I position him more on the wing, it’s like putting him on his sofa at home; he’s used to doing it at Inter.

“He can also play as a centre-back, I’ve spoken to him. He and (Alessandro) Buongiorno are two excellent players who could also work well with (Riccardo) Calafiori.”

Italy face a tough task of overcoming Germany away from home for a place in the semi-final against either Denmark or Portugal, but Spalletti remained confident.

“It will take a strong performance because we’re starting from a disadvantage, but we need another performance like Thursday’s.

“It is not an impossible task. They are a strong team, but we did what we had to do at San Siro, and if we manage to repeat that, I’m convinced we’ll bring home the victory.”

Bastoni made his Italy debut in 2020 and has earned 34 caps for the Azzurri.