PSG midfielder Marco Verratti insists criticism of Italy's win over Malta is unfair.
The Azzurri overcame their Euro qualifying opponents 1-0 thanks to Southampton striker Graziano Pelle.
Verratti argued: "We've been working with the Coach for only four matches in total, so it is taking time to get to know his football.
"The points are important in football, we know that we have to improve, but we can gain confidence from these wins.
"I was being man-marked in the first half, while after the break I was given a little more freedom to play the ball. I got a few important passes wrong when I could've sent teammates clear on goal, so that was disappointing."
He added: "We certainly wanted to put in a better performance, but nowadays no games are easy. Croatia won 6-0, but Holland lost 2-0 to Iceland and Spain fell against Slovakia. In Italy we are accustomed to being criticised, so we take it and move forward."
