Pipitone reflects on her career, World Cup experience and more

We've gathered up a few of the key comments from the former Italy international...

On her relationship with the other goalkeepers in the squad…

“We are three goalkeepers with very different qualities. In terms of technique, we always try to learn something or take something from each other. Camelia came in this season with the right attitude and has shown the quality she has. She was immediately willing to work hard, to give her best in every training session, as Valentina does. I too try to set the right example for all of us. They are two people who will go on to achieve a lot in live, because humility and respect for your colleagues is the foundation of any successful career. Valentina is a great example for me, she always gives 100% even if she might play less than others.”

On the current squad…

“We’ve grown a lot thanks to some of the new arrivals, the quality of the play has really come on. One of the tenets of this side is that we know how to use the ball and we always try to impose our style on games. We want to play attractive football. We can still improve at how we manage games; we are a young side and at times we need to be better at knowing when to keep the ball and when to get rid of it. Sometimes we’ve needed to be a bit cleverer, maybe a bit more cynical, and that has cost us on a few occasions.”

On her role within the group…

“I have a responsibility to set the tone for my teammates, and to give out advice and suggestions based on the experience I have. With the younger players I have a great relationship, I always try to help them keep the right perspective – which sometimes with the younger girls can be difficult.”

On the coach…

“Betty is always available, she’s always willing to talk and tries to offer everything she can. She has clear ideas, she wants to use the ball, she wants us to use incisive forward passing – she is faithful to her principles. This year she’s really focused on the details and asks us to give everything.”

On her career…

“In ended up in goal by accident. I wanted to be a striker and I was playing there during a Primavera game, when the goalkeeper was injured and I was asked to go in goal for the final 10 minutes – because I was the tallest. After saving a couple of shots the goalkeeper asked me to stay in goal, and I never left after that. Then I got injured, when I was at Aquile Palermo. It was a serious injury, because they said I might have difficulty playing again. I learned not to let anything beat me during that period, which isn’t easy for any 17-year-old to go through. But that period really helped me in the long run – and I’m still playing at 34, 17 years later.”

On the growth of women’s football…

“Women’s football has changed so much, the quality of the games is improving and there are so many good players. Maybe one or two individuals stand out but right now it’s more of a team sport; you face teams, not individuals. With professional clubs getting involved the sport has changed a lot; the structures and the coaching mean players have the resources to improve a lot. It wasn’t always like that, we had less opportunity to train and the facilities were not as good.”

On her international career…

“My time with Italy was the best experience of my life. I was part of the youth teams, and then I wasn’t called up for the senior squad until I was 32 – when Milena Bertolini gave me the chance to join the game. I had hoped for so long to get the chance, and then when I got the call for the World Cup it made me think about everything that took me to that point. That first World Cup game is something I will not soon forget. It was an exciting occasion for all of us involved, we were such a close group. At the World Cup there were so man fans, so many people we knew, so many people wishing us well both there and back home. It was an incredible experience.”