Gareth Bale spoke at a press conference on the eve of the match with Italy and referred to his return to Madrid after the loan at Tottenham. About the match against the azzurra, he said: “They play well, but they have weaknesses and we also have options.”
Will they think about the tie, which would also be worth it?
Nobody prepares a match to tie, we have a plan to seek victory, that is the goal.
With Ramsey they have a perfect connection.
Yes, we understand each other perfectly, it is very nice to play with him.
Would he shoot a penalty again tomorrow?
That is decided by the coach, if he asked me to launch it, I would, of course. Penalties can be missed, it’s part of football.
How important would winning tomorrow be in your career?
Hard to say, it would certainly be a moment of enormous pride for us and for all of Wales.
Are you motivated to play the round of 16 at Wembley?
Obviously it would give us the opportunity to get closer to our fans, but the priority right now is to win tomorrow.
What has changed the victory against Turkey?
It clearly gave us more confidence and that will help us against a very strong Italy. We don’t think too much about how far we can go, also in 2016 we reasoned match by match. It is useless to think beyond tomorrow.
What match is expected?
Italy plays a very offensive football, there are few teams like this, but that does not mean that they do not have weaknesses. We believe we have options.
What is working very well between you?
We have a great team spirit, wanting to shine in this tournament.
Mancini compared them to Stoke City …
I didn’t think the Stoke was that good.
How are they physically?
Well, we have recovered well and we are ready. I have played little this year, but that does not mean that I cannot recover well. You have to think game by game, without looking ahead.
Are you ready to work with Ancelotti?
I have no other choice, it will be the Madrid coach and I am a Madrid player (laughs). What I can say is that I have a great relationship with him and I know he will do very well at Madrid.
Page: “Ramsey has nothing to prove”
Robert Page, Wales coach, warned about the difficulty of the match: “Even if there are four or five changes, the quality of Italy is enormous”
What match is expected?
A great game, Italy so far impressed us and I think tomorrow they will play the same way. We must win without thinking about anything else.
There are three warnings, will there be changes?
It’s difficult, we are thinking about it. Tomorrow we play with an opponent who sometimes attacks with seven players
It will be a special game for Ramsey.
I’m very proud of his work on a physical and tactical level, obviously he really wants to play, he didn’t have all the space he wanted at Juve.
They will need a great effort against that Azzurra.
Without a doubt, but we are going to try. It was a great success to get here with 4 points, with Turkey we were also able to win. We will give everything for our country, we want another joy.
What style of play will he have?
We will suffer a lot without the ball, they attack very well especially from the left. They also defend very well, but we know our strength.
What atmosphere is there in the locker room?
We travel a lot, but the atmosphere is excellent and I thank the players and all the staff for that. We find a balance between hard work and rest.
What has changed the victory against Turkey?
We could have scored 4 or 5 goals, it was a great performance, but obviously tomorrow the rival will be different.
You already played against Italy once …
Yes, but it’s been 20 years (laughs). Even if there are four or five changes to his eleven, his quality will be enormous.
How is Bale?
Very well, the missed penalty did not affect him at all. He showed character, he reacted positively, he has a lot of merit in our victory against Turkey.
Ramsey was highly criticized in Italy …
For me, he has nothing to prove. He is a great professional, he is enjoying us, I see him play with a smile and this is very nice.