Gigi Buffon says Antonio Conte “is exactly the same” Coach for Italy as Juventus and has high hopes for Simone Zaza.
Gigi Buffon says Antonio Conte “is exactly the same” Coach for Italy as Juventus and has high hopes for Simone Zaza.
The captain spoke at a Press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Euro 2016 qualifier in Norway, as Conte made his debut on the Azzurri bench with a 2-0 friendly victory over Holland.
“It was a great performance and in some respects an unexpected one, considering we came off Costa Rica and Uruguay at the World Cup,” said Buffon.
“We faced a team in a friendly that after 10 minutes were a man and two goals down. It was a good test of our concentration, especially as in recent years our approach to friendlies has been dangerous. We can say we did well.
“The World Cup exit was something shocking and therefore any post-match reaction could’ve gained more importance than it was meant to.
“Having said that, I didn’t say anything that wasn’t founded in facts. It wasn’t a generational shift, but a way of evaluating players by real meritocracy. In the Nazionale you need the best players, regardless of their age.”
Cesare Prandelli resigned after that debacle in Brazil and Conte took over, having won three consecutive Serie A titles at Juventus.
“There are many analogies with his first day at Juve and at the Nazionale,” agreed Buffon.
“He is the same Conte who stayed for three years and he continues to express his concepts of football in a way that makes him unique and special.
“There are eras that have to end, or not give the same results or the same enthusiasm they did before. If the Coach made that decision, it’s because he realised something had changed and we were going into more difficulties.
“I repeat with great strength that if we have Conte here, it’s because he has absolute conviction we can achieve something extraordinary. He is so mature and such a professional that he won’t go into an adventure unless he believes in it 100 per cent.”
Zaza and Ciro Immobile impressed in their first game together against Holland and could also be used in Norway on Tuesday.
“For those of us who have represented Italy for many years it is a pleasure to see the humility and hard work the young players put in, even when they ask you advice.
“Often young people today think they know it all, don’t need any advice or help. And yet it is good for them to stretch themselves. We’ve been there, De Rossi, Pirlo and Chiellini, when we were young.
“I am not surprised by Zaza’s success, as I’ve always really liked him as a player, even when facing him as an opponent.
“I think only we are capable of ruining a talent like this, so we have to look after him as much as possible over two or three World Cups or Euros.”
Buffon was asked about the potential rules to clamp down on foreign imports in Serie A, B and Lega Pro.
“It’s not a question of quantity, but quality. There are debates on the quality of someone playing in the place of an Italian. That is bad for our football if we cannot allow new talent to flourish.
“As for reforms, I think something has to be changed. If we horribly failed in two consecutive World Cups and do not have that pool of talent we had in the past, it means something is wrong.
“I think we should help the maturation of Italian talents in the youth academies, putting some limitations on who to play in the starting XI.”