England manager Roy Hodgson says Italy have made ‘great progress’ under Antonio Conte, and praises Juventus.
Hodgson has plenty of Serie A experience, having been on the bench at Inter and Udinese, and the 67-year-old spoke to Tuttosport ahead of England’s friendly with the Azzurri tomorrow.
“I really like Italy, and I’ve always admired Italian football,” Hodgson said.
“It’s always nice to come back, and now I’m curious to see how we [England] fare against a top international side like Italy.
England manager Roy Hodgson says Italy have made ‘great progress’ under Antonio Conte, and praises Juventus.
Hodgson has plenty of Serie A experience, having been on the bench at Inter and Udinese, and the 67-year-old spoke to Tuttosport ahead of England’s friendly with the Azzurri tomorrow.
“I really like Italy, and I’ve always admired Italian football,” Hodgson said.
“It’s always nice to come back, and now I’m curious to see how we [England] fare against a top international side like Italy.
“As for Italian football, I know it’s good but I can’t claim to be an expert because, given my role, I mostly watch English games.
“The only teams I watch are Juventus who are playing really well, and of course the national team which has made great progress.”
The former Liverpool manager then looked ahead to Tuesday’s match and Juventus Stadium, and dismissed controversy over oriundi.
“It’s a choice for Italy. If the players are eligible then Conte has the right to select whoever he wants.
“As for us, I plan to rotate heavily, because I’m forced to. I head already lost six players before the game with Lithuania, and after that match I lost three or four others.
“So the team will be very different by necessity, because I don’t have the same players available.”