Paris St Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has stated that he can work alongside Andrea Pirlo in the Italian national team after being drafted in at the last moment following an injury to AC Milan midfielder Ricardo Montolivo. Montolivo and Pirlo were expected to start the midfield, but this injury has forced manager Cesare Prandelli look at other options. After an impressive campaign with Paris St Germain, Verratti is one of the first names to have joined the 23 man squad for the World Cup. He needs to be at his best in order to help the national team overcome a very disappointing form in recent weeks.
The pretournament friendly matches have not gone according to plan and Italy are expected to struggle in the World Cup. The national team will be coming up against England and Uruguay along with Costa Rica in the group stages. Verratti, though, has been inconsistent with PSG this season. Even though he helped the team win the French league title, his poor performances in the Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea have not gone unnoticed. Verratti was frequently caught in possession, which led to Chelsea going through to the semi-finals at the expense of PSG.
The young midfielder, though, is confident that the hugely experienced Pirlo will help him.
“There isn’t a midfield role I prefer, for three years now I have had several tasks and positions. I still believe that playing alongside Pirlo is possible, it is impossible for others as they aren’t comfortable with a player like Andrea. I was called into the 30-man team and the priority for me was to give my best so as to be in the list of 23. I gave my best, but of course I feel sorry for those who didn’t make it. Football is all about choices, and you just have to respect them,” said Verratti.