Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia feels Italy can be proud of last night's 1-1 draw with Germany.
Ranocchia believes the experimental Italy were "a real team tonight against Germany" and are beginning to gel.
"I think it was a great performance from a side that is growing," he said.
"We struggled at the start, as we had to get a hold of them and their movement, then once we did that it was a fine game.
"We saw a genuine team tonight and if you aren't then you won't go far against a Germany side that has been working together for a few years now.
"There were some mistakes, we will examine them and improve for the next match. Our unit is almost entirely new after the World Cup reconstruction, so it will take time to form that togetherness, but we are getting closer to it.
"The Coach wanted me to push forward a bit more, but the situation didn't really allow for those risks, so I preferred to stay back and protect."
