Astronaut talk helps Italy shoot for stars

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano gave an inspirational talk at Casa Azzurri today, as Italy's preparations to face Sweden in Toulouse on Friday took an unusual turn.

Team-work, motivation and preparation – three key themes for Antonio Conte's squad – were discussed with the aid of an anecdote about a particularly hairy moment Parmitano, the first Italian to perform a spacewalk, encountered on one such mission from the International Space Station.

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With water slowly and unexpectedly filling his helmet, engulfing his face and, ultimately, covering his eyes, nose and ears, he had to find a solution to what was a life-threatening situation.

And he had to do so fast, aware that his mission for the day would remain incomplete. He used a footballing analogy for the drama. "If you lose a game, you learn from it," Parmitano said. "You turn defeats into future victories; they are there to improve you and ensure these things never happen again."

While those encouraging words would perhaps have more relevance for Belgium, beaten 2-0 by the impressive Azzurri on matchday one, the astronaut then offered advice for Italy as they gear up for the Swedes.

Regarded as underdogs against Belgium, Italy proved their critics wrong as their above-mentioned team-work, discipline and, above all, preparation won the day. Underpinning everything was their mental strength, and it is no coincidence that many of the Italian training sessions here have been held in an auditorium rather than out on the field. The side have been prepared for every eventuality.

Parmitano touched upon this aspect, relating how he managed to keep his cool in that life-threatening scenario. "Whoever says they never have fear is either lying or stupid – we all have fear, it's part of our evolution," he said. "Fear is a mixture of psychological and physiological effects, and it is only of one thing: what we don't know.

"As kids, we are scared of the dark because we don't know what's behind it. Training is about learning your limits, about how things work, and knowing the people who are supporting you eliminates fear – knowledge eliminates all fear. A child who sees a dark room turns the light on and the fear disappears.

"An astronaut has fear, but only of what he cannot control. In a moment like mine, what advantage does it give you to think of death? None. Training to become an astronaut gives you this: a mental checklist to think of the solution and not the problem. Thinking of the problem immobilises you; thinking of the solution motivates you."

It is with this guidance that Conte's Italy will get ready for Sweden – and, in the Azzurri coach's own words, "get the most that we can from UEFA EURO 2016, having no regrets".