Alessandro Bastoni found himself in the hot seat after a dive that got Pierre Kalulu sent off during Inter Milan vs Juventus — attempting to defend himself at the expense of Florian Wirtz.
It’s two months since Liverpool got a narrow win over Inter courtesy of an 88th-minute Dominik Szoboszlai penalty, but Bastoni hasn’t forgotten how that late winner came about.
The Italian was quite honest — perhaps too honest — after the win against their Serie A rivals, where he admitted the red card incident was a dive on his part.
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In an effort to justify his actions, he brought up his foul on Wirtz in the Champions League back in December.
Alessandro Bastoni uses Florian Wirtz ‘dive’ to defend himself
If reports are to be believed, Bastoni could yet end up at Liverpool.
That would make for a slightly awkward first day, after the Inter star again took aim at Wirtz for what he considers a dive when the Reds picked up three points at the San Siro back in December.
In the fallout of Inter’s win against Juventus — where it was Bastoni putting on the theatrics — he referenced that incident.
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He said (via Inter website): “The same thing happened the other way round against Liverpool with Wirtz and nobody made a fuss.
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“The coach was the first to tell me at the time that I shouldn’t give the referee a reason to make that call, and he was consistent in what he said about Saturday too.”
Bastoni talks about the Wirtz penalty incident as though his view is fact. The German likely wouldn’t agree.
There was a clear shirt pull, and while it might have been minimal contact, the blame falls on the Italian for taking that risk in the 18-yard-box.
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Bastoni is one of the centre-backs on Liverpool’s shortlist, and arguably the one that would excite fans most.
He is a world-class defender and one of the best ball-playing centre-halves in Europe.
But it’s not just the Reds who are eyeing a summer swoop. Barcelona are also quite keen, and Calciomercato revealed last week that Arsenal have also entered the picture.
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That would make little sense for the 26-year-old, who would be behind William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
If Ibrahima Konate’s contract situation at Liverpool isn’t resolved, he would walk into Arne Slot’s side. Even if the Frenchman stays, there’s a strong argument that Bastoni would have to start.
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