Italy manager Luciano Spaletti praised Destiny Udogie’s performance against England but admitted that the Tottenham man has to improve his defensive awareness.
Udogie has been one of the standout full-backs across the Premier League so far this season and the youngster deservedly won his first two senior caps for Italy during the international break.
After coming on as a second-half substitute against Malta and setting up Davide Frattesi’s goal, the 20-year-old was given the nod to start at Wembley on Tuesday night.
Udogie was certainly not fazed by the occasion and delivered a confident display, playing a key part in the away side’s opener.
(Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Udogie needs to improve his defensive awareness
Even though the Azzuri were at the wrong end of a 3-1 loss, the former Udinese man has received plenty of praise for his performance (Mathew Upson –BBC Sport).
Speletti has said that he was not surprised by the left-back’s showing but he identified one area that the player where the player has to improve.
The Italy boss said (via talkSPORT) about the Tottenham man: “He played the game he needed to. He produced the performance I was expecting from him.
“I think he still needs to be a bit more consistent when it comes to staying switched on defensively. But he did show what great running ability he has, and stamina he has.”
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While Udogie is an excellent one vs one defender, we have seen him occasionally lose concentration when it comes to marking players.
However, that is to be expected with a young player and the 20-year-old will certainly become better at reading the game and staying switched on as he gets more minutes under his belt.
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