Inter centre back Alessandro Bastoni has revealed he did manage to sleep after his second consecutive start in Europe as Inter overcame Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter finals of the Europa League on Monday night.
“Luckily I can handle the games well and I slept. It was a great feeling. Playing in a European semi final is never easy, especially for me, who just started, it’s very nice,” he explained in an interview with Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, earlier on today.
The Italian was then asked how it feels to have played a part in what Inter have achieved thus far this season.
“I have always said that personally I have made great strides because I never expected to play for Inter and reach this point of the season, hitting goals that have not been reached for a long time.
“It is a source of pride for me to represent Inter in these competitions but it is thanks to the team that these results are achieved.”
Next he was asked how much he learns from playing alongside Diego Godin, who is vastly more experienced than him and at the opposite end of his playing career.
“Yesterday’s words from Godin show what a great person he is. As he said, he was able to wait for his moment while respecting the coach and the team, this is a symptom of great professionalism. I feel very lucky to have him but also the others like Borja Valero and Danilo D’Ambrosio, people who give me great stimuli to do well.”
Bastoni then went on to speak about what it is like to work under Inter manager Antonio Conte.
“The thing that Conte has given me the most is undoubtedly trust. He asks for personality and to not be afraid to play, I think that’s the best thing. I go out onto the pitch to do my best.”
He was then asked what Inter’s goals are in the remainder of the Europa League.
“We are aiming to get as far as possible in the competition. We have to go and do what we have always done, then press and set up our game and always be concentrated.”
He was then asked how important the loan spell he had at Parma was for his development as a player.
“The move to Parma was decisive. I played consistently and I was able to play among the greats, growing a lot in the process. I have never lacked is the personality nor have I been afriad of going on the field and playing and this give me a lot of serenity.”
In conclusion he was asked what he does when he comes up against teammate Romelu Lukaku during training to which he responded: “I let Romelu do what he does, so he gains confidence and scores goals on Sunday.”