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There was palpable excitement from Gabriele Calvani, Dominic Vavassori and Kevin Zeroli, who all received their first Italy U21 call-up, as they took part in the press conference today at the Centro di Preparazione Olimpica di Tirrenia, where the Azzurrini are training ahead of their upcoming fixtures against Poland (Friday 18, Pogon Arena, Szczecin, 16:00 CET) and Montenegro (Tuesday 18, City Stadium, Nikšić, 18:30 CET).
CALVANI
For Calvani, this is his first time ever in an Italy shirt, having never previously represented the country at youth level before receiving the call last Friday to join the U21 squad.
“When I got the message from the team manager telling me about the call-up, it was a huge surprise – I didn’t expect it at all. It was an amazing feeling,” he said.
In Tirrenia, alongside his Frosinone teammate Palmisani, he was also reunited with several Genoa players, with whom he came through the ranks from the U17s to the U19s before joining Frosinone on loan at the start of the season.
“With their help, I fitted into the group right away. I’ve also had the chance to get to know the coach, who has asked us to give everything and go full throttle,” he explained. “My main qualities are my physical strength and game assessment; that’s why I’ve always said I look up to Rüdiger. Now we’ve got Poland coming up, a very strong side, and I hope I can make a contribution.”
THE OTHER NEW FACES
Zeroli and Vavassori, meanwhile, arrive with experience with the U20s, both having made six appearances last season, with the former also featuring for the U19s (12 games, 4 goals) in 2023/24. That side also included, as an underage player, Camarda, then his teammate at AC Milan before his loan move to Monza, where he helped the team reach the European semi-finals (a 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain).
“The first call-up was an incredible moment,” said Dominic, whose mother is Polish and who will have family in attendance in Szczecin. “Being here is amazing – it’s something I dreamed about as a child, and now I’m living that dream. There are lots of familiar faces from previous youth teams. I’ve already spoken to Marco Palestra, who I played with at Atalanta.”
“My call came at the last minute,” added Kevin (who had initially been named in the Under-20 squad before being moved up on Saturday), “but I’m doing my best to be ready. We’re settling in well to what is already a strong and enthusiastic group. I’ve also spoken to Camarda and Bartesaghi, who I played with at AC Milan before coming here.
BALDINI’S DEMANDS
The two newcomers are getting to grips with Coach Baldini’s high-intensity training sessions.
“He’s asked me to make runs in behind, take on defenders and create as many chances as possible,” explained Vavassori, “and when we’re out of possession, to press hard, since the first line of pressure has to start with us forwards.”
“The coach welcomed us with great enthusiasm,” added Zeroli. “He wants us to attack space, and for me specifically, he wants a midfielder who can run into the box and score goals.”
EKHATOR OUT
The squad, however, has lost Jeff Ekhator, who did not train in Tirrenia over the past two days due to muscle fatigue. The Genoa striker has now returned to his club for further treatment.
Tomorrow morning, the team will hold their final training session before travelling to Szczecin, where they are due to arrive in the evening.
SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Diego Mascardi (Spezia), Edoardo Motta (Reggiana), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone)
Defenders: Davide Bartesaghi (AC Milan), Gabriele Calvani (Frosinone), Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina), Niccolò Fortini (Fiorentina), Gabriele Guarino (Empoli), Riyad Idrissi (Cagliari), Filippo Mané (Borussia Dortmund), Brando Moruzzi (Empoli), Marco Palestra (Cagliari)
Midfielders: Tommaso Berti (Cesena), Matteo Dagasso (Pescara), Giacomo Faticanti (Juventus), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), Kevin Zeroli (Monza)
Forwards: Francesco Camarda (Lecce), Alphadjo Cisse (Catanzaro 1929), Luigi Cherubini (Sampdoria), Jeff Ekhator (Genoa), Seydou Fini (Genoa), Luca Koleosho (Espanyol), Dominic Vavassori (Atalanta)
EURO UNDER-21 / GROUP E – FIXTURES AND TABLE
13 November, 17:00 CET: North Macedonia vs Sweden (Bitola)
14 November, 16:00 CET: Poland vs ITALY (Szczecin)
14 November, 12:00 CET: Armenia vs Montenegro (Armavir)
18 November, 12:00 CET: Armenia vs Sweden (Armavir)
18 November, 17:00 CET: North Macedonia vs Poland (Bitola)
18 November, 18:30 CET: Montenegro vs ITALY (Nikšić)
Table: Poland 12, Italy 12, Montenegro 6, Sweden 3, North Macedonia 3, Armenia 0
SCHEDULE
Thursday 13 November (CPO Tirrenia)
10:30 – Training
12:00 – Press conference (coach and player, in person and online)
16:30 – Travel from Tirrenia to Szczecin
Friday 14 November (Szczecin, Pogon Arena)
16:00 – Poland v ITALY (UEFA Euro U21 Qualifiers, Matchday 5)
21:00 – Return trip from Szczecin to Tirrenia
Saturday 15 November (CPO Tirrenia)
16:00 – Training
Sunday 16 November (CPO Tirrenia)
16:00 – Training
Monday 17 November (CPO Tirrenia)
10:30 – Training
16:20 – Travel from Tirrenia to Podgorica
Tuesday 18 November (Nikšić, City Stadium)
18:30 – Montenegro v ITALY (UEFA Euro U21 Qualifiers, Matchday 6)
Wednesday 19 November
09:55 – Travel from Podgorica to Milan / Rome