Lazio striker Ciro Immobile discussed his physical condition, the Italian national team, the support of the fans and his future whilst speaking on the Italian TV show ‘Tiki Taka’ (via La Lazio Siamo Noi) recently.
First, he spoke about his current physical condition.
Yes, I had some problems, against Sassuolo I played with painkillers. This year we had ups and downs, while in the Champions League, we did something exceptional.
But now we’re recovering in the league and it’s right that we’re being talked about more.
He touched on which league has the toughest defenders.
A bit everywhere, both in Italy and in Spain and Germany, I’ve been beaten everywhere!
The 30-year-old Italian discussed his relationship with Torino forward Andrea Belotti.
I get on well with Belotti, he always has this energy even when it’s late.
I am a bit older than him, I tell him that we have to go to sleep early, also because we have to save energy when we are in the room together in the national team.
He then moved onto commenting on his relationship with former Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura.
I always had a great relationship with Ventura at Torino and I brought him to Italy. There were a few problems, when things start to go wrong you feel under pressure, in difficulty.
We wanted to participate at all costs in the World Cup, we arrived at the play-off with too much fear of not reaching the result. There wasn’t a serene environment but no, Ventura didn’t leave the camp.
Immobile then touched on his feelings regarding the current Azzurri set-up with coach Roberto Mancini.
We are doing a great job with Mancini, we have brought people closer to the national team. We’re enjoying ourselves.
The 30-year-old Italian forward highlighted the strengths of the Biancocelesti before the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are moments in football when you feel in great shape, unbeatable. And that was our moment. Before Covid we were a really formidable team, we took the field with the desire to win every game.
Then we got a bit too distracted, we lost a few points. The pre-Covid Lazio could have stayed there and fought for the Scudetto.
He joked about how vocal coach Simone Inzaghi is in training.
It depends, if we make him angry, he loses it even during training!
Immobile spoke a little about his career and the importance of fan support.
You aim for the best for your career, but I’m happy with what I’ve found and won here, on a personal and team level. When I arrived, Lazio were midway in the table, together with the others we brought them back to the top.
The love that people give me on the street can never be surpassed by a team trying to win the Champions League. I left Torino in 2014, I thought it was the best choice, I was young and it wasn’t easy. But that step helped me a lot, just like the time I spent at the Granata helped me.
You make choices, now I’ve made the choice to join the Lazio project until the end of my career. I feel responsible for the happiness of the fans. A very strong bond has been created with the club, the fans and the coach. My family is very happy in Rome.
He looked ahead to the Champions League Round of 16 clash against Bayern Munich.
It takes a bit of everything. We need to play a perfect game, play to the best of our ability and try to enjoy ourselves as we usually do.
Finally, Immobile spoke about Napoli talisman Lorenzo Insigne’s penalty miss against Juventus last week.
I imagined the moment he was in at the time. Maybe he thought he was to blame for the knockout. We spoke the next day and I told him it wasn’t true.
He had the courage to go and beat him. He’s an extraordinary player, these things happen and they’re part of those sensations we carry when we go on the pitch.
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