ROME (AP) 鈥� says called him more often than his mother did over the last four months.
Which shows just how much attention Gattuso paid to his players between the Azzurri鈥檚 last game in November and Thursday鈥檚 with Northern Ireland.
With the four-time champion attempting to avoid missing out on a third straight World Cup, Gattuso traveled up and down Italy and made several trips abroad to share dinners with his players and keep up team spirit.
鈥淥ver the last few months I heard from him more than my mother,鈥� Calafiori said Tuesday at Italy鈥檚 Coverciano training complex in Florence.
鈥淲hen I was out or not playing as much, he called me constantly,鈥� Calafiori said of the month from late December to late January when he was out with a muscle injury. 鈥淎nd the dinner with him was great. It gave us the chance to be together. It was like a dinner among friends.”
Gattuso, Buffon and Bonucci
Besides Gattuso, Italy delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon and assistant coach Leonardo Bonucci 鈥� all former standout players for Italy 鈥� were also at the meal in London.
鈥淭here were a lot of soccer anecdotes shared, because the three of them have plenty of those,鈥� Calafiori said.
Able to switch seamlessly between left and center back, the 23-year-old Calafiori helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League before transferring to Arsenal in 2024.
Now he鈥檚 switching his attention to limiting Northern Ireland鈥檚 dead ball opportunities, after recovering from a slight knock with Arsenal on Sunday.
鈥淲e need to be aware, because they鈥檙e dangerous. Free kicks can create the difference. The margins between squads are reduced in modern football,鈥� Calafiori said. 鈥淲e also need to pay attention to loose balls.鈥�
Objectives beyond the Premier League title
Having become a regular with Italy, Calafiori is still regaining his fitness from his month off after beginning the season as a consistent member of Arsenal鈥檚 starting 11.
He’s not a guaranteed starter at Arsenal these days, though, with Piero Hincapie doing well in Calafiori鈥檚 absence and keeping his place now that the Italian is back.
While Arsenal was beaten by Manchester City in the on Sunday, Calafiori is still in line to win the Premier League with Arsenal leading City by nine points.
But Calafiori has other goals, too.
鈥淕oing to the World Cup is the dream I had as a kid, so I can鈥檛 wait to play this game,鈥� he said.
Besides beating Northern Ireland at home in Bergamo on Thursday, Italy would also then need to defeat either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away next week to qualify for the upcoming tournament in North America.
The Azzurri were eliminated in the playoffs for the last two World Cups by and , respectively.
鈥淲e need to prepare like it鈥檚 a normal game,鈥� Calafiori said. 鈥淲e know how delicate it is.鈥�
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