Italy No1 Buffon's salute to Ibrahimović

On Zlatan Ibrahimović and the goal he scored against Buffon at UEFA EURO 2004 ...

I don't remember much about it. I appreciated it afterwards because it was a great goal. At the time we knew Zlatan had talent, but he was still young so you could not predict what type of career he would have. But now, 12 years on, I think Ibra has shown his quality over and over again – and he's repeated the goal he scored past me in Portugal three or four more times. It's part of his repertoire and it is no longer a surprise.

Zlatan we fear a lot, because he's one of those great players who make the difference for the teams they play for. Sweden are not just 'Ibra', though, because they have other top players. But his strength, his sense of being a champion, is not something you see in just any player. For me and for our defence, he's going to be a big problem.

• Permutations: who needs what to qualify?
• Astronaut talk helps Italy shoot for stars
• The latest on Italy v Sweden in our match centre

On Italy's second-game lapses ...

Historically, especially in recent tournaments, Italy have had big problems in the second game. It's up to us to resolve this. It's been a comforting start and maybe even we didn't honestly expect it, but our strength is that we know our own limitations, and when you know these, you also know what you've got to show on the field and how to prepare for games.

On Italy's defensive solidity ...

With Leo [Bonucci], Giorgio [Chiellini] and Andrea [Barzagli], we've been playing together for many years and we've definitely gelled. We know each other really well and respect each other a lot, so this can make things a bit easier. But at this level, sadly you can't afford to relax. If we want to leave the field with a great result we need to prepare well.

[Bonucci] is the playmaker in our defence because he can dictate things with his good feet and he has the courage and personality to take the responsibility to try things, but over the years he's improved a great deal defensively. He's a complete player, I would say. He's one of the best in the world.

On the winning formula ...

At the 2006 [FIFA] World Cup, we won our opening game 2-0. A squad gets stronger as you go along, picking up results – that is inevitable. But it's also true that there has been a willingness within the team since day one at Coverciano to create a togetherness and believe in what we can do. The fact we achieved what we did in 2006 was also due to a strength and unity of intent that you can only have with 23 lads and all the staff thinking the same way.