Antonio Conte said Mario Balotelli “has to deserve and earn” an Italy call-up, he’s impressed by Graziano Pellè and Andrea Pirlo.
Antonio Conte said Mario Balotelli “has to deserve and earn” an Italy call-up, he’s impressed by Graziano Pellè and Andrea Pirlo.
The Nazionale Coach sat down with Sky Sport Italia for a lengthy interview and discussed his approach to this new role.
“The nomination as Coach of the Year was recognition for the work I’ve done and a push forward to do even better in the future. I have a very difficult challenge, which is to lead the Nazionale in a tough moment for our football movement.
“We have an important history, but it’s a difficult time and we must all get on our bikes to ensure this whole system gets back into gear.
“Italy are coming off a similar situation to the one I found at Juventus” data-scaytid=”9″>Juventus. We must remember we’re coming off a failure and if there were problems before, then they cannot all be resolved in two months. The team was angry after going out of the World Cup in the group stage.
“We have started well, proposing new names and lowering the average age. We’ve also won four out of four games.
“This Nazionale must be helped and constructed from the ground up. We lit a small flame of enthusiasm and it now has to be helped along. Our common goal is to qualify for the Euros in France.”
Conte has certainly made changes, most notably ignoring Liverpool striker Balotelli and calling up Southampton’s Pellè.
“Of the 23 players I’ve called up so far, 8-10 aren’t first team regulars at club level. That is alarming and means something is not right.
“Call-ups have to be earned and deserved. I am not ruling anyone out, but every call-up has to be justified. The important thing is that whoever plays for the Nazionale proves they want this shirt.
“Was Balotelli a separate entity at the World Cup? I am not interested in getting into these issues of the past. Having said that, I always tell my players that you win as a team.
“If Pellè got into the Nazionale at his age, then it means he deserved it. Three years ago he was on the bench at Parma, then he improved a great deal in Holland and is now doing very well. He must continue like this. I found him much more mature compared to when he was still in Italy.”
Conte also convinced Juventus midfielder Pirlo to put off international retirement for a couple more years.
“He was very eager to get back into any role. He told me he wants to be part of a project, both as a player and as a locker room presence. This pleased me.
“Daniele De Rossi really suffered with the World Cup debacle and he was very hungry to get back out there, so he sets a great example for the younger players. This Nazionale has four or five ‘senators’ who set the example.
“It’s true I did try to get him at Juventus in my first year, but he always saw Roma as his only Italian club.”