The Arsenal defender spoke 48 hours before the match against Northern Ireland, which could send us to the playoff final

Riccardo Calafiori is ready for the first playoff match and is confident. “Physically, I’m fine,” he explained, “though we’ll see how it goes on the field today. At such a delicate moment, we’re trying to live in the present, stick together as a team, and focus solely on the first match. What do I think of Northern Ireland? I’m focused on my team and my teammates; I don’t think about the opponents. It depends more on us than on others. We need to prepare for this match as if it were a regular game. We know how delicate it is, but we have to stay as relaxed as possible“ (here’s our focus on Northern Ireland).

Set pieces deserve a separate mention, as they are one of Northern Ireland’s strengths. Calafiori explained: ”We have to be careful on defensive set pieces because they’re dangerous. Set pieces can make the difference because the margins between teams are so narrow in modern soccer. We also need to be careful on second balls, from the first to the last minute. I’m hoping for a match where we dominate and create the best chances, but you can’t predict how a game will unfold beforehand. That’s why I say we need to stick together and stay positive: that will help us. In such important matches, the right mindset is crucial to moving forward. I really appreciated the coach’s support because in recent months I’ve heard from him more than from my own mother… During the time I was sidelined and playing less (at Arsenal, ed.), he called me constantly. The dinner with him was great: it allowed us to relax and spend time together. Who paid the bill? He did… It was an evening among friends, where we discussed other things, but also shared anecdotes because Gattuso, Bonucci, and Buffon were there. And they have plenty of stories to tell about soccer.“

champions—  Calafiori then touched on Italian soccer outside the Champions League and our struggles in Europe: ”The Champions League is complicated. No Italian teams are left in the running, but among the English teams, it’s just us and Liverpool. The difference between the Italian and English leagues is the intensity, both in training and in matches. We don’t train much because we play every three days, so we maintain a high intensity in every game. There are few lulls; even when the ball goes out of bounds, play resumes immediately.”

ATTENTIVE DEFENSE—  Finally, naturally, back to Italy and the many goals conceded during the Gattuso era: “I don’t think there’s a problem with the defense. When we concede goals, it’s not just one unit’s fault. Right now, though, there’s little point in dwelling on the past: we need to stick together and get the result we want. I like to recall the 5-0 win against Estonia in Bergamo back in September. That match gave me a good feeling. The stadium can give us a boost this time too: I believe Bergamo will push us forward. We have to be optimistic because we all want this. Why make life harder by thinking negatively? If you think positively, you’ll get what you want in the end. The pressure is there, and we know how important it is for us to qualify for this World Cup, but as much as we can, we’re not thinking about it. Tomorrow is the final training session, and I’m happy to play in this match. There’s a downside to it that could go wrong, but we have to make the most of it. I’m thinking of nothing else but going to the World Cup in America, and this could be a wonderful week. I’d much rather play a game like this than not be on the field and not have this chance. We’ve dreamed of playing in a World Cup since we were kids, and even though it would have been better to qualify directly, now we have this opportunity to be among the 48 teams heading overseas, and we don’t want to mess it up.”