The Italy squad will be at Milanello to prepare ahead of their upcoming internationals, but Davide Calabria will not be joining them.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) this morning talks about the paradox surrounding Calabria. He is the only starting player at Milan who could play for Italy, but instead he hasn’t played since last June in the Nations League against Germany.
The national team will attend Milanello on 10 and 11 September in preparation for the match at San Siro against Ukraine. Gianluigi Donnarumma and Sandro Tonali will be back at the training ground they know well, but Calabria will rest instead.
Roberto Mancini even preferred Alessandro Florenzi, his deputy at Milan, while Luciano Spalletti is betting strongly on Giovanni Di Lorenzo of his Scudetto-winning side at Napoli.
Excluded by the Azzurri, Calabria was the tactical surprise of the game at the Stadio Olimpico against Roma. Pioli instructed him to move into midfield alongside Rade Krunic during the build-up phase, to help draw out the press.
“We have a new way of playing, it’s not easy to see a full-back working in this way,” Calabria said of himself at half-time. However, not even this double role got him back into the national team which remains one of his personal objectives this season.
He has spent over half his life as a Rossoneri player, given he turned 26 in December, celebrating 15 years with the Diavolo.
“I have been a Rossoneri player all my life and I hope to be able to finish my career here. It’s absurd to believe we’re satisfied after a Scudetto, we want to win again precisely because now we know what it feels like. I dream of being the captain who lifts a trophy,” he said.
Back in May 2022 Cup was lifted by Alessio Romagnoli, before he left for Lazio. In the meantime, without the national team, Calabria will be able to prepare better for the next derby against Inter.
good news, he will play the derby
I am not surprised. He is far from DiLorenzos quality, and not better than Darmian.
Simply not true, no fullback have better defensive stats than Calabria in the league. He is sorely underrated and underappreciated. Only problem with him is his injuries
0 players from Milan called up for Italy I think. We will have to see this going on for years to come. I am not Italian so I don’t complain.
Bartesaghi and Camarda will join the first team and the national team soon.
I don’t mind the pick of Di Lorenzo over Calabria. It’s picking Florenzi over Calabria that irritates me. There should be no way that should be happening. I’m glad however that Bonucci and some of the old relics were not called up.
Mancini was an idiot and didnt pick any Milan players for some reason, only Florenzi as he coached him at Roma.
They will keep snubbing our players but we will probe them wrong…
Well atleast he fit and fresh for derby
Simple Calabria is not good,he is never on the level of Di Lorenzo, since Romagnoli left no Milan player was up to the level of call up to the national team.
Not a surprise. Calabria’s defense has really slipped in the last year and he doesn’t provide much going forward.
Spaletti’s selection is a breath of fresh air compared to Mancini but still pretty bizarre and not great IMO. If he plans on playing 4-3-3, it makes no sense that he wouldn’t bring Calabria (or another RB). The forward line is still all wrong, but hey at least he’s not choosing Bonucci so I guess that’s something.