Alessandro Bastoni claims Italy ‘are very good at focusing on the negatives’ and Roberto Mancini is ‘working on our self-esteem’ ahead of tomorrow’s clash with France.

It kicks off at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

The Nazionale had two vastly different performances in the Nations League so far under returning coach Roberto Mancini, losing at home to Belgium and then emerging 4-1 winners in Turkiye.

“We are capable of having our say in a one-off match against anyone, but we also want to be consistent and make sure that Italy have a recognisable identity on the pitch,” Bastoni told Sky Sport Italia.

“Our standard has to be the one we saw in the most recent match.”

Mancini returned to the Italy bench after winning the European Championship in 2021, and is trying to find a balance between that ambition and the need to rebuild the team after so many disappointments.

“Clearly, everyone hopes to get results as soon as possible, but we must also recognise we’re at the start of this process. After the game with Turkiye, we need patience, as more tough moments will come,” added Bastoni.

“The coach is working on our self-esteem. In Italy, we’re very good at moaning, feeling sorry for ourselves and focusing on all the negatives, but in my view we should also learn to say when we’ve done something good too. The more we say it, the more we’ll start to believe it, so we’ve got to work on that.