Italian national team striker Ciro Immobile has labelled himself and striking partner Simone Zaza as ‘ignorant’.
Both strikers have quickly developed a partnership in the Italian national team under Antonio Conte, and Immobile was quick to point out the reason for their success.
“What would I say to describe us? We are both ignorant,” Immobile said in the press conference. “He is gritty and very determined.
“It won’t be long before he will have the choice between playing for a big club in Italy or abroad.”
The former Torino striker then went on to point out the differences between the current squad under Antonio Conte, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup side under Cesare Prandelli which was knocked out of the group stages.
“I see a united group,” he said. “A team that has a common goal and have pride in wearing the shirt.
“I knew what to expect from [Antonio] Conte, he is a great coach.”
Immobile then went on to state that his call-up to the national team in September gave confidence to perform with Borussia Dortmund, as well as casting his opinion about the competition in the Azzurri and with Die Schwarzgelben.
“Being called up to the national team in September gave me lots of confidence,” he said. “From there on I managed to perform well with Dortmund.
“Things are not going well at the moment for Dortmund, but the fans are still behind us.
“Sometimes I do not play because there is [Adrian] Ramos, who is also a great striker.
“There is also lots of competition in the national team; [Mattia] Destro, [Graziano] Pelle, [Pablo] Osvaldo, and [Sebastian] Giovinco are all playing really well at the moment.”
“[Mario] Balotelli? Mario is a really nice guy, but it’s the coach who calls up players.”
