Pinpointing the crucial moment when Alessandro Bastoni ended with a red card, after a clumsy challenge on Memic, former AC Milan defender Alessandro Costacurta said going back a few frames, might reveal how the long kick clearance from Gigi Donnarumma and Gianluca Mancini might have equally been responsible for the penalty conceded after Italy led 1-0.
Bastoni, playing out of position, was careless no doubt but Costacurta told Sky Sports, that Mancini ought to have expected the header. “And even on the sending off, the carelessness isn’t just Bastoni’s. He made a mistake, but Mancini should expect the header and should start earlier, let’s not point the finger at Bastoni alone. On Donnarumma’s clearance, what was our situation? You have to expect the opponent to get it, and Mancini starts late on Donnarumma’s clearance, starts later, and so Bastoni goes in. It’s not just Bastoni’s fault, who obviously should never come on because it’s better to stay with 11 men anyway,” he explained.
Costacurta also said the quantity of elite talent in Italy had come down. “Do you know how many Italians, in the top four of the table, played on the last matchday of Serie A?” he told Sky Sports. “If we look at those who are now qualified for the Champions League, namely Inter, Milan, Napoli, and Como, in total they had six Italians on the pitch out of 44: that must mean something… If we then broaden the discussion to the six who are in Europe, we only add seven, and that still becomes too few, because we’re talking about 13 out of 66. Presidents and coaches talk about changing things, but either they don’t understand, or there’s something missing for Italian footballers,” he noted.
Costacurta also said Donnarumma hadn’t helped things.
“It’s clear that we’re stronger than Bosnia, but do you think the pressure our players are under is the same as that faced by a Bosnian athlete? No. We, by sporting culture, would either want them all blessed and saintly or we’d leave them tied up in the middle of the street: this mentality doesn’t help when you don’t have players with a certain ego. I’ve played with players with monstrous egos, who were scary. When Donnarumma, as captain of Italy, continues to get angry, it’s not in the best interests of the national team. There’s no point in trying to show off what a great personality he has. Some people waste their nervous energy. The sporting culture in Italy doesn’t help young players; it’s very difficult for them to get on the pitch and give their best. I also blame the fans for booing them, because the result must be immediate,” he said.
There had been debate going into the match if Bastoni, chased by Barcelona, should have been picked. “Those who criticize Gattuso for having him in central defense—he plays on the left for Inter— “They make me laugh. Let’s bring back Bonucci or Baresi, who do you put in defense? Bastoni is definitely in that moment, but I think they talked. Bastoni wasn’t physically well, but who can play there? Is Gatti better than Bastoni? Finally, is Calafiori better than Bastoni? I don’t think so,” he said.
