Italy captain Leonardo Bonucci heaped praise on his teammates ahead of the Switzerland bout: “This is the tightest team I have been a part of over the years. Several players made it, but there has never been an issue. When the young guys fit in so seamlessly, it means that the group is united. And it is not a coincidence that the good results follow.”
On the opponents: “They have been together for a long time; they have important players. They deserve attention, especially up front.”
Bonucci named his top contender thus far: “Besides those that will take the field later today, I have been most impressed by England for the attitude and desire they showed in pursuing the victory over Croatia.”
He dished on the enthusiasm surrounding the Azzurri: “We must remain humble to have performances like the one versus Turkey. We have never dwelled on what we have achieved, and we continued to get the job done. There is a lot of eagerness to be part of the national team now, and the credit goes to the coach. We were coming off a dark time.”
Bonucci also talked to Sky Sport: “Winning the first game was nice, and seeing some fans on the stands after a long time was thrilling. But now we have to move on; we need to put our heads back inside the tank and look forward. There is not just one captain in this group, and we have several leaders. Everybody is responsible, and this is the nicest thing. The real world-class player of this team is its group.”