U21: Casiraghi pleased

Italy Under-21 coach Pierluigi Casiraghi was pleased with his side’s friendly win over the Netherlands last night, but he thinks there is room for improvement.

The Azzurrini won 2-1 against the European champions courtesy of goals from Pablo Daniel Osvaldo of Fiorentina and Villarreal hitman Giuseppe Rossi.

The win was a useful boost in the preparations for the Olympics in Beijing this summer, but Casiraghi seemed cautious in his post-match interview.

"It was a tough game where we took on an excellent team," he told Rai Sport. "They showed themselves to be very good physically and technically, but we know that we still have to grow.


"In May we will have another fixture and then the focus will be on August. There aren’t many preparation games, but we will try to get the most out of them and use the short time we have to be properly prepared."

Casiraghi finished with some high praise for Rossi, whose contribution proved decisive.

"Wherever he plays, he does well. He is a central striker who is on his way to proving himself at the highest international level," he concluded.

Source: C4 Football Italia