Tonali: Playing football in the Premier League has helped me, Gattuso awakened our fighting spirit and enthusiasm

At 02:45 on September 9, in the 6th round of the European Division I World Cup, Italy will play against Israel away, and Tonali was interviewed before the game.

About this game

For me, after I get on the court, I just need to focus on the game itself and no longer pay attention to everything off the court. Even though we were facing a game with 80,000 live spectators before, it was no different for us from playing football in a small field. We would play like we prepared for training. Tomorrow we are facing a respectable opponent, who have strong players, so we cannot underestimate anyone, and we must play our own style.

About your experience in the Premier League and what happened off the court (Note: Tonali was banned for betting on football)

When you are in a difficult situation, you will put in more effort and you will understand more clearly what you really want to do and care about. In addition, playing football in the Premier League was very helpful to me, where the football style was completely different, with relatively weak tactics, but very fast paced, and more intense confrontation. This is what makes the Premier League different from other leagues.

Does this Italian team have different vitality now?

Gatuso awakens our fighting spirit and enthusiasm. In fact, these have existed before, but the degree is not so strong. Things in the football field have never been simple. In Bergamo's game, we played very hard in the first 60 minutes, creating many opportunities but failed to score. But we always maintained a positive attitude and finally won the game successfully. The situation was tense and we knew we had to win that game. After leading 1-0, we completely let go.

Does the intensive schedule allow you to still feel the joy of playing football?

The situation is different in each game. Recently, I played more midfield positions in Newcastle, but I can actually play multiple roles. There is no problem with me in adjusting the position. Playing in England has more room on the field, but there is indeed less tactical arrangement. Players need to adapt to this style. In theory, it may not be that 'fun', but if the team needs me to keep running, I will never back down.