Cesare Prandelli has offered encouragement to Alessandro Diamanti and assured that fatigue is not going to affect Italy this summer.
Heading into Friday’s friendly against San Marino, the topic of the squad’s condition was once more brought up.
Cesare Prandelli has offered encouragement to Alessandro Diamanti and assured that fatigue is not going to affect Italy this summer.
Heading into Friday’s friendly against San Marino, the topic of the squad’s condition was once more brought up.
On from confirming that Riccardo Montolivo and Andrea Barzagli join Stephan El Shaarawy as absent for tomorrow, the CT was asked why this game has been arranged ahead of a World Cup qualifier with the Czech Republic and the Confederations Cup campaign in Brazil.
“We wanted this game because the program included four days of training, double sessions each day, and I needed a friendly environment to test out the new faces and to understand even if, at a tactical level, they could be used at a faster pace,” explained Prandelli to reporters prior to this evening’s training session.
“So as far as we are concerned, we will have the objective of maintaining a certain kind of attitude, a certain kind of balance, but also to understand if those guys called up can be considered as players able to go to the Confederations Cup.”
The discussion of fatigue in the squad was brought up once more, with the Azzurri’s run of fixtures coming at the end of the domestic campaign.
“As I said the other day, with their presence and enthusiasm, we must try to understand that when you wear this shirt, you must have something more, with respect to normal players and to many of the guys who have had good seasons and are already on vacation.
“The national team gives you a lot but you have to be equally generous. I am convinced that there may be fatigue, so perhaps we have to be clever at motivating the players in a certain way.
“We have worked well in these past few days and I do not see the problem of fatigue.”
The possibility of using the Alessandro Diamanti in a formation with Bologna teammate Alberto Gilardino was put to Prandelli.
“It’s a hypothesis. We will evaluate it, if they play. In half an hour when we go out on to the pitch we cannot hide anyone in the XI.
“It is an idea, yesterday we tried it, I think he has also worked in a different position with his club, Diamanti. But we have tried this solution.
“Diamanti is at the right age to take responsibility, as he is doing in Bologna, with important performances. So on a technical level, I think he has been ready for a whole. He has, also, a very generous character, which can be appreciated by all.
“He is a player of great quality, but also of great quantity, so a player who could be useful to any team who may wish to have such features.”
Prandelli was asked if the group are working well under such scrutiny that Pablo Daniel Osvaldo’s omission and the latest story surrounding Mario Balotelli have brought.
“You never get used to it. In the sense that we would always have the possibility to work and to answer for our actions.
“There are several arguments, as I said before, which are very delicate and many times just an adjective or a word can create even further disturbance.
“In the history of the national team there has always been this morbid interest in confrontations that I am not going to comment on. Mario is experienced in this media exposure.”