Former Italy Coach Marcello Lippi explains his relationship with current CT Antonio Conte, and reiterates that training camps are 'not essential'.
The veteran of the 2006 and 2010 World Cups shares some experiences with the current head of La Nazionale, including the fact that both spent time on the Juventus bench.
“I speak with Conte very often,” Lippi has admitted in today’s Gazzetta dello Sport.
“He's among the many players – more than 20 – whom I coached and then went on to become a Coach himself.
Former Italy Coach Marcello Lippi explains his relationship with current CT Antonio Conte, and reiterates that training camps are 'not essential'.
The veteran of the 2006 and 2010 World Cups shares some experiences with the current head of La Nazionale, including the fact that both spent time on the Juventus bench.
“I speak with Conte very often,” Lippi has admitted in today’s Gazzetta dello Sport.
“He's among the many players – more than 20 – whom I coached and then went on to become a Coach himself.
“They all say they took something from me. We spent extraordinary years together, we developed in Juventus as it imposed itself in Italy and abroad.
“I haven't forgotten every Sunday when we hugged each other after our success. We had a few clashes, but if there's friendship it all passes, like a husband's arguments with his wife.
“Conte may feel a bit lonely, like every CT. But he's surrounded by competent people from the FIGC, many of whom worked with me too.”
Conte has voiced a number of concerns since taking up his role, claiming that being denied his training camps by the Serie A clubs could jeopardise the quality of the national team.
“But I also heard him talk of a renewal in Italian football,” Lippi pointed out. “As always, during a phase of reconstruction, there are difficulties.
“The real problem is the limited players available to be called up. But the youth teams make me optimistic, I see a lot of quality coming up.
“The training camps would have come in handy, but they're not essential. It's best that more time has been given to the team before the Euro tournament,” he said, echoing statements made on Monday.