Italy could recall starlets like Marco Verratti for the European Under-21 Championship, said Gigi Di Biagio.
Tomorrow’s friendly with Serbia will be the last before the tournament kicks off in the Czech Republic in June.
The Azzurrini held Germany to a 2-2 draw in Paderborn on Friday.
“I want to finish in the top four and qualify for the Olympics in Rio, but I also want to get there as a protagonist in the European Championship,” said Coach Di Biagio.
Italy could recall starlets like Marco Verratti for the European Under-21 Championship, said Gigi Di Biagio.
Tomorrow’s friendly with Serbia will be the last before the tournament kicks off in the Czech Republic in June.
The Azzurrini held Germany to a 2-2 draw in Paderborn on Friday.
“I want to finish in the top four and qualify for the Olympics in Rio, but I also want to get there as a protagonist in the European Championship,” said Coach Di Biagio.
“I wouldn’t be content with just reaching the semi-final and stopping there. We want to go all the way.”
In order to do that, he could recall some of the players who have stepped up to the senior Italy squad, such as Marco Verratti, Mattia De Sciglio, Mattia Perin and Stephan El Shaarawy.
“I speak often with Antonio Conte and we’ll evaluate what choices to make later on down the road. I don’t think it would be possible to bring all four, but we are thinking about one or two of these lads.
“I mustn’t forget how hard the lads worked to earn qualification and in football you need to show gratitude to those who gave you so much.
“Our problem in Italy is that many of these lads don’t play in Serie A, or get very little playing time. The other Under-21 sides therefore have more experience.
“Tomorrow I’ll make a few changes, but we organised these two matches in quick succession to test our ability to recover in a tournament situation.”
Di Biagio was also asked about the debate over ‘Oriundi’ – foreign-born players who take Italian nationality.
“It makes me laugh. It is a pointless controversy and the world has changed. There are rules. The one thing that might irritate is the thought one might choose a national team just because he can’t get into the other side.”