Cesare Prandelli praised Giuseppe Rossi, discussed his Italy contract renewal, the Twitter ban and the “very important” England opener.
The Coach has still not signed the extension despite announcing a deal some weeks ago and today began training sessions for the World Cup.
Cesare Prandelli praised Giuseppe Rossi, discussed his Italy contract renewal, the Twitter ban and the “very important” England opener.
The Coach has still not signed the extension despite announcing a deal some weeks ago and today began training sessions for the World Cup.
“The issue was closed for me two months ago, as I’ve already given my availability. If we haven’t signed the contract yet, it’s purely due to the legal aspects, as it is a very detailed document.
“I am happy and also aware that a new adventure is beginning. We already made it official.”
The Azzurri boss is working with a 30-man preliminary squad, including Fiorentina” data-scaytid=”4″>Fiorentina striker Rossi, who was out for five months with a knee ligament injury.
“I brought him along for numerous reasons. He is a talent with great quality, one of the best in Italy. He is determined, hungry and made a thousand sacrifices to be here in the running for the World Cup.
“He is the proof that champions need to have character and he can set the example for everyone. Clearly, he has to be in good shape and that’s what we want to see over the next 10 days.
“Even if Rossi doesn’t make it into the 23, he has already won his battle. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him or make him feel as if he’s being checked every minute of the day. He is in to 30 and we want to figure out if his condition has improved compared to a few days ago.”
Prandelli is making some changes for the World Cup in Brazil and will ask the players to limit their use of social networks such as Twitter and Facebook during the tournament.
“We’ll talk about it more in depth today, but as I said a few days ago I like to give people responsibility for collective choices. If someone gets it wrong, he puts everyone under pressure, so we’ll make decisions with the spirit of unity.
“It is not in my nature to impose bans. We’ll try to involve everyone in a pact, including family members, but then we’ll see what that entails.”
Italy’s first game of the World Cup will be against England on June 14 in Manaus, ahead of Costa Rica and Uruguay.
“It’s easy to say the first game will be very important. It’s true, but also history teaches us that it could be deceptive. In the last World Cup, Spain lost their opener to Switzerland, but went on to lift the trophy…”
Abete: altri più avanti,facciamo squadra
"Il Mondiale è una competizione aspra e ci sono Nazionali che hanno fatto meglio di noi. Lo dice il ranking Fifa, lo dicono anche i risultati della Spagna, oltre al fatto che in Sudamerica non ha mai vinto una squadra che non fosse sudamericana". Così Giancarlo Abete analizza gli scenari che troverà l'Italia di Prandelli al Mondiale brasiliano, al via a giugno. "Per la vittoria è favorito il Brasile – le sue parole – perché gioca in casa, poi Argentina, Germania e Spagna".