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Telles: 'Why Inter failed last year, I'd like to play for Italy'
Beyond talking about how he is adapting to life in Portugal (“very well!...the club radiates a winning mentality, you understand why they have great players”), the former Nerazzurri defender provided some explanations to Inter’s decline last season in an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport.
Leading at the break, the Beneamata collapsed in the late Winter, ending the season fourth after a recovery in Spring.
“There was a mental blackout,” Telles described it to the Gazzetta dello Sport, “Serie A required constant concentration. If a player can’t keep up, the whole team suffers. Even the simplest things become difficult.
“We worked well at the Pinetina, but gametime is another thing altogether.
“We lost out concentration, our focus. I don’t think we were ready to keep up that kind of focus for the whole season”.
The 23-year-old then spoke of the possibility of playing for Italy, something the Italian FA (the FIGC) has explored of late.
“Would I be available [for Azzurri selection]? Yes, but I need to think of doing well with Porto. If I do then something like that can come”.
Telles hails from Caxias do Sul in Rio Grande do Sul, a state known for its Italo-German heritage.
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