Giacomo Raspadori interview before Atletico-Inter

Giacomo Raspadori is used to thinking positively. The current moment could lead to cautious pessimism, for him a few minutes in Atletico, for Italy the third World Cup playoff, but he sees the glass half full, smiles a lot and is ready to fill it completely. First with Cholo and then with Gattuso.

Let’s start with the national team.

“The playoffs are up to us. We knew it, and we know how important it is for us and for Italy as a country not to fail, we are aware of how much not being at the World Cup in the last two editions has weighed on us. Now the national team has difficulties but in adversity we have always exalted ourselves and we want to do it again this time to achieve an objective that cannot be missed.”

What if I tell you that it seems more like a psychological thing than a technical one?

“When things go wrong there is never just one motivation. We know we have many qualities, moral and technical. We must work starting from this base and do everything we can to amplify and make our qualities evident without having gaps as has happened to us recently. The players are there, the team is strong, the coach prepares us well. We have everything to make it happen.”

“Going to the World Cup”.

We’ll think about it in March. Meanwhile, the day after tomorrow there is Atletico-Inter.

“A very important match for our path to the Champions League. So far we have lost two difficult matches in England and won twice at home. If we want to finish in the top 8 we must do everything we can to extend the series.”

“Good. We’re coming off a series of positive results (5 wins in a row, ed.) and the 3 points we took in Getafe were very heavy. Last year we lost there, winning these types of games where you struggle is important, time will tell us how important but now we’re there in the standings, 4th behind Real Madrid. After a complicated start we’ve bounced back in a great way.”

In La Liga you have always scored, and you have always taken the lead.

“A very important fact for me, it shows how the approach to matches is always the right one. If you enter the field and take the lead it means that you are well connected with what you have prepared.”

At Getafe he was decisive with the cross that generated the own goal of the only goal of the evening. Simeone says he isn’t being very fair to her.

“I thank him, but I knew I would find great competition. And I’m used to it because it was like that in Naples too and it helps you bring out the best, on the pitch and in training. I have to be ready and I work for that, to take advantage of the opportunities that are offered to me. Then it’s clear, I’m a very ambitious guy and I would like to always play, but for now that’s fine, while waiting for greater continuity, being ready when they call you is also a quality. I’m very happy with my choice.”

“Atletico showed interest and I had no doubts, I jumped at what I consider an opportunity for footballing and human growth. I have always followed and admired La Liga and the idea of trying it attracted me. Then it is clear, it is not easy to leave Naples, a unique city, full of passion and love for football where I had a great time and won two championships in 3 years, and from Naples, for what the club, teammates and fans gave me. I had an experience incredible.”

He also ended up in Inter’s sights.

“There has been interest, but never anything really concrete.”

“The second half. Nice, well played, I liked it. Matches like this are won and lost based on situations, episodes, moments, and it went well for Milan.”

“Determined and with the desire for redemption after the derby. So far in the Champions League he has had an excellent run. It’s true that he beat rivals who are in the lower part of the table but he did what he had to do, and in the Champions League it’s never easy with anyone.”

Inter overcame Roma but lost to Napoli, Juventus and Milan.

“Losing important matches can affect the team’s mood, but I know many Inter players and I know what mental strength they have. They know how to get back up, what to do after a disappointment, it’s a strong group and they will arrive motivated.”

“The goal at San Siro against Sassuolo, just before Covid. Scamacca and I scored, great game. And then obviously the head-to-head for last season’s title, exciting and enthralling. When we scored 0-0 in Parma and they drew 2-2 in San Siro against Lazio, the tension was sky-high. And a few days later the victory against Cagliari and the liberation.”

“They have so many things in common. They are super demanding, if they have to tell you something they tell you without hesitation and without beating around the bush, a big point in their favor as I see it. They have different methods of coaching, here there is less volume, less tactics, we focus more on intensity work with the ball, but they both transmit great passion and energy, they bring out that desire to give everything on the pitch in terms of sacrifice and dedication which is then reflected in their teams.”

“In Italy, football is more tactical, about study. Here I immediately noticed a big difference in intensity, on the pitch and in training. It’s a different way of playing, very stimulating for me: all the teams try to play the game and I like it. It’s exactly as I expected, it reflects the idea I had following La Liga from afar.”

You are a very good friend of Giovanni Simeone, now he plays with his brother and is coached by his father. Not very usual.

“Yes, but the coach and Giuliano are very good at managing something that is not simple. If someone didn’t know who they were, they wouldn’t realize that they were father and son. Giuliano is a very good guy, he loves this team and helps a lot to form a group. He made my integration a lot easier.”

Well, for that we must also mention his excellent Castilian.

“I studied it at school and even though I finished my studies a few years ago it remained there and came back. I liked it a lot and when you are passionate about a subject you study it more. And today I reap the benefits.”

And Marcos Llorente? What type is he?

“A character. We talk, I ask him, I find out. He has ideas that are certainly valid and interesting. In the locker room he always lights up red and orange depending on the moment, and this also helps to form a group and create a nice environment. A definitely positive guy.”