Gigi Buffon denied the Italy senators have “a problem” with Mario Balotelli, but explained his view on self-discipline.
The Italy and Juventus” data-scaytid=”7″>Juventus captain held a Press conference today ahead of Tuesday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Norway.
Gigi Buffon denied the Italy senators have “a problem” with Mario Balotelli, but explained his view on self-discipline.
The Italy and Juventus captain held a Press conference today ahead of Tuesday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Norway.
Balotelli was surprisingly dropped for Antonio Conte’s first Italy squad, though he was also suspended against the Norwegians.
“We are players and Mario is our teammate,” said the goalkeeper. “We don’t have a problem with him.
“We are not so presumptuous to think we can teach someone how to act or how to live, because it’s not as if we are 50 years older.
“I think there is a Coach and he decides what is best for the group. It is not our job to comment on who gets called up.”
When asked about why the Italy squad needed a tough Coach like Conte in charge, Buffon looked on a wider scale.
“The psychology of man and not just players could get us talking for hours. I am convinced that the moment a man or player is given too much freedom, that man will mistake it for a licence to do whatever he wants, so consequently either fails or doesn’t know how to use it.
“I think players, seeing as they are still young, do not have self-discipline. It is inevitable that some Coaches will push them from the start and that probably helps.
“If we think of all the ‘hard men’ of football, like Capello and Van Gaal, then they spent a lot and still won.
“It is not the only path to victory, but it really helps. On the other hand, you have Carlo Ancelotti, who if it came to being a hard man would never win at all.
“In terms of tactics, Conte and Arrigo Sacchi are the most focused on tactics. It is their credo and if the results don’t come, you can’t just change approach