EXCLUSIVE: Acerbi on Italy Call, Life After Illness & Sassuolo Success

Italian defenders normally know what they are doing. This is certainly true of Francesco Acerbi, one of the best Serie A defenders this season and a deserved member of WhoScored.com's current team of the season in Italy.

The centre back has been called up to the Azzurri squad for the upcoming friendlies against Spain and Germany and now dreams of participating at UEFA Euro 2016. Elegant and mentally strong, Acerbi is one of the pillars of a surprising Sassuolo squad who still have a chance of grabbing a first historical qualification to a UEFA competition of their own.
 
The perfect season? Well, it's been an extremely good one, surely the best of his career so far, as he revealed during his exclusive interview with WhoScored.com.

With a rating of 7.32 from WhoScored.com you currently hold a place in the Serie A team of the season, but how have you rated your own performances?

I am actually delivering some good performances this year, as well as the whole team. To be consistent demands a lot of energy and desire, and I am happy that I have been doing well so far. Being consistent over months is the most difficult thing, so I am quite pleased by my performances this season.

Your statistical rating has improved year on year since signing for Sassuolo, so do you feel that you are currently playing the best football of your career?

This has been the most successful and most important year in my career so far. I have developed as a person and from a psychological point of view, and I can see the result of this in training as well as in official games. A defender needs to stay focussed for 95 minutes, he needs to be calm and to feel confident on the pitch. And he also needs to transmit his confidence to his teammates, who in turn will also feel more comfortable.

What do you think your chances are of adding to your one international cap and joining the Azzurri at UEFA Euro 2016?

I can only hope for it to happen! It’s up to our manager whether to call me or not. I will give my all for Sassuolo and we will see what Antonio Conte decides for the next games (Acerbi has been called up by Conte for the upcoming friendlies against Spain and Germany). If he then decides to have me on board from May on too, I would be very happy for sure; on the other hand, if he decides not to call me up, I know I will have done all I could in order to be part of the squad, so I wouldn’t have any regrets.
 
And where would making Italy's Euro 2016 squad rank among your career achievements?

A call-up for UEFA Euro 2016 would be a great reward for all of the work I have done during the last two years. I have trained hard to become a better player and to deserve something as important as the national team.

Having diagnosed with cancer earlier in your career, do you feel coming through such adversity has made you a stronger character on the pitch?

I am calmer than I used to be, less impulsive. Still I am a frank person and I don’t mind talking when I have to. Now I see how important things are, especially off the pitch. I also live a healthy life that allows me to perform on the pitch, and that is really important for me now.

Did you ever feel that you would be back performing to the standards that you are today?

I can’t really say now, because something has changed in my mind and now I rate myself and the things I do in a different way. The change has been progressive, now I feel more confident and calmer, and that helps me to avoid making errors.

To what do you attribute Sassuolo's superb success so far this season, particularly in defence?

The fact that the team has been training with the same manager for three years has played an important role for sure. Our coach knows what he is doing and how he wants us to play. We are mainly Italians, and some foreign players who have adapted very well. We also have strong young players, we know each other well and we try to defend and to attack all together, as a real team.

Only Juventus and Napoli have conceded fewer away goals than Sassuolo this season (15). Do you always prepare for away games differently to those at home?

Not really, we prepare all home and away games in the same way. It is true though that to get a good result away, maybe also subconsciously, you tend to play with a little bit more attention than at home. We try to take to the pitch with the same attitude, home or away, but we also adapt a little according to our opponents.

How do you feel that the use of statistics has evolved in football and to what extent is data used at Sassuolo to prepare for matches and analyse performance?

For a defender it’s important to know who you will be facing, which is also something you can learn on the pitch by actually taking on strikers year by year. Each game is different though, sometimes possession is decisive, sometimes the number of tackles won. Each player prepares mentally and physically for a game first, and then pays attention to the qualities of his opponent. It’s fundamental for us to analyse our performances and the characteristics of our opponents in video sessions.

According to WhoScored's statistically calculated characteristics your main strength is intercepting the ball, while your style of play indicates you do not dive into tackles. Do you agree with this?

Yes I agree. I always try and anticipate my opponent and I risk a diving tackle very rarely, only if I am 100% sure to get the ball. In this way I try to avoid silly mistakes that might damage my team.

Is it fair to say this is how you were taught to defend and do you feel that isn't the case in different countries?

I don’t watch much international football to be honest. I like good defenders and I try to learn from them. Italian defenders are tactically very clever, and Italian clubs tend to defend with many players. This is what has made Leicester so successful too. They concede very few goals and that is a result of Claudio Ranieri’s work. Look at Juventus for example: they defend with eleven players and they attack with seven or eight, they do so against any club and they all run a lot on the pitch.

Who is the best player you have played alongside in football and who is the best you have faced?

I really liked Robinho during my time at AC Milan, he was really impressive. The best player I have faced has been Zlatan Ibrahimovic, you always have to have an extra eye open for him...

What are your hopes for the future? Do you have any desire to test yourself in another league at any stage and if so, which do you think you would suit?

I would like to play in the Premier League: it’s such an exciting and fascinating league! I also like England and its culture, so I hope to play in that country one day.

How impressed have you been with Acerbi's progress this season? Let us know in the comments below