Antonio Conte says his Italy side will do their utmost to beat Portugal, even though it’s a friendly – “I hate the word ‘defeat’”.
The Azzurri take on the Iberians tomorrow, the last match of a long season, but the CT is in no mood to allow his players to relax.
“I see no difference between this and a competitive match,” Conte said in his pre-match Press conference.
Antonio Conte says his Italy side will do their utmost to beat Portugal, even though it’s a friendly – “I hate the word ‘defeat’”.
The Azzurri take on the Iberians tomorrow, the last match of a long season, but the CT is in no mood to allow his players to relax.
“I see no difference between this and a competitive match,” Conte said in his pre-match Press conference.
“My players are well aware of how much I hate the word ‘defeat’, and I want them to understand the difference between winning and losing, even if you’re not giving three points away.”
The Coach then talked about the future, and is looking forward to having Fiorentina’s Giuseppe Rossi at his disposal.
“Next season I hope to get a good response from [Simone] Zaza and [Ciro] Immobile, and we’ll see if Giuseppe Rossi recovers, the doors of the national team are always open.
“It’s important in the year leading up to the European Championships to find players who have been decisive for their clubs.
“My hope, and my advice is [for players changing clubs] to make targeted choices. The more you play, the more you’ll improve, and the more chance you have of being called up for the European Championships.”