Pablo Mari on Spain vs Italy, Euro 2024 expectations and stabbing incident | OneFootball

Pablo Mari opened up about Italy’s upcoming Euro 2024 clash with Spain, the similarities and differences between the two teams and his horrific stabbing incident back in 2022.

The Azzurri are gearing up for a tense Group B clash with la Roja, which kicks off on Wednesday evening in Gelsenkirchen. Both teams won their opening matches of the tournament against Albania and Croatia respectively, putting them in a strong position to progress to the knockout stages.

In the other second-round game of Group B, Albania and Croatia played out an electric 2-2 draw, leaving both teams on a single point. Should Italy and Spain draw in their match, both would likely progress to the Round of 16 regardless of the final game.

Pablo Mari talks Spain vs Italy

Speaking to TMW, Pablo Mari first discussed his expectations for Italy’s clash with Spain.

“Two great national teams are playing, I expect a good match. I know the Italian players well, I know what they have felt in the last two years.

“For them, the failure to qualify for the World Cup was hard to digest, they have a great desire to demonstrate their value.”

He was asked if Spain had really changed their style of play.

“I think so, today there are very different players from those who were there before. Now there are very fast players: Yamal, Olmo, Williams… And Morata was very good at adapting to this new style of play.

“They played a good match against Croatia, they proved to be one of the favourites, I also liked Italy, they played a match with a recognizable style.”

Pablo Mari commented on the battle between Alvaro Morata and Gianluca Scamacca.

“From the point of view of individual characteristics they’re similar, they’re well structured and have technique. They both have a good shot, they connect the game and they both really like space.

“I faced Scamacca for two years, for me he’s a very strong forward, with Atalanta playing man against man across the pitch it’s difficult to mark him and in fact in the first leg of the last season he scored two goals against us.”

Pablo Mari spoke highly about Nicolo Barella.

“He’s more of a mediano than a midfielder, he’s also one of the best in the world in his area of ​​the pitch. He’s the player who commands Inter.

“I watched 80% of the Nerazzurri’s matches last season, I agree, there’s Calhanoglu and Mkhitaryan, but he was the one who moved the opposing team with his runs.”

Pablo Mari was impressed by Alessandro Bastoni.

“The best left-footed player of the last Serie A season. He has technique, physique and then the personality.

“In the national team you see his confidence, he doesn’t feel the weight of the shirt and this tells you that he is a player of the highest level. However, I also want to share some words for Calafiori.”

Pablo Mari then commented on the comparisons between Riccardo Calafiori and Sergio Ramos.

“That’s the path. At first Ramos was a full-back and then he became a centre-back, more or less the same career that Calafiori is having. Motta turned his career around, he added those two or three things to make the difference.

“It gives him freedom to push further forward, he is a very technical and intelligent player. Having started as a full-back has allowed him to have greater confidence with the ball at his feet.”

Pablo Mari discussed the difference in perspective regarding young players in Italy and Spain, with Lamine Yamal playing at 16 and Giacomo Raspadori considered young at 24.

“In my opinion it’s also a cultural question, but one aspect must not be underestimated, in Italy great defenders have always been born, you have had Maldini, Nesta, Cannavaro Bonucci, Chiellini, for 20-30 years the best central defenders in the world.

“This raises the average age because at 25, 30 or 32 they always have to play, they were the best for many years. After winning everything, we had to do a reset, we had to start again with a new cycle. Italy are changing their face in recent years.”

Pablo Mari was asked about the horrible stabbing he suffered in a supermarket back in 2022.

“You think that you can’t control everything in life and that, in the end, the important thing is that I’m well, that my whole family is well. And then that these things can happen and it’s important how you react.

“The doctors told me that I could return to the pitch after three and a half months, after a month and a week I was on the pitch training. I wanted to repay all the support from Monza.

“It made me reflect on the really important things in life, I now give much more importance to without wasting too much time on what is superfluous.”