"Aside from the opening match, the only thing we were really lacking was the sharpness we had in the World Cup," said the AC Milan midfielder.
"The spirit was the same and so was our desire to amaze and find our place in history, but our legs didn't carry us as well."
"We are very upset, which is natural when you are part of a squad and wear the Azzurri shirt. I am very proud to wear this jersey and be part of this team, as we proved we never give in.
"We won the World Cup on penalties and lost Euro 2008 on spot-kicks, so it's understandable. You can train for penalties all you like, but when you get there the legs are shaking and it can go against you.
"Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn't. It is human to make mistakes. Practising isn't really effective, as when you are there in front of the fans with the whole nation hanging on your shoulders, it does things to your mind."
