Leonardo Bonucci warned Mario Balotelli “must learn to be part of a group” if the Liverpool striker wants an Italy recall.

The forward was dropped by Antonio Conte and is expected to again be left out when the Azzurri announce their squad for Euro 2016 qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Malta.

Leonardo Bonucci warned Mario Balotelli “must learn to be part of a group” if the Liverpool striker wants an Italy recall.

The forward was dropped by Antonio Conte and is expected to again be left out when the Azzurri announce their squad for Euro 2016 qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Malta.

“Balotelli must learn to be part of a group, always. If he understands that then he can be devastating,” Bonucci told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“The problem is that at times he isolates himself for absolutely no reason. At the World Cup we could’ve done with some wise old men in the squad, especially in attack. Someone who’d even things out and be a reference point, like Di Natale was at Euro 2012.

“Conte puts the group in front of everything else. There are no alternatives: either you fight for the common good or you can stay home.”

Bonucci also reflected on the problems that Italy had in Brazil during the World Cup under Cesare Prandelli.

“We weren’t good enough at dealing with all the compliments after our opening game with England. All that talk of ‘Tik-Italia’ and our minds perhaps went beyond the next stage. There were some negative incidents, especially against Uruguay…

“It’s also true that the venue for our training retreat made the environment feel a bit too much like a vacation. Even having the training ground within the resort turned into a handicap, as we never really felt the atmosphere of a World Cup.”

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