Giampiero Ventura opened the door for Mario Balotelli’s return to the Italy squad, but “he needs to prove he can play for the team.”
The Azzurri Coach has not yet recalled SuperMario despite rediscovering his form at Nice and this week Balo said it’s only right he was dropped.
“He said some things that, perhaps, three years ago he wouldn’t have said,” Ventura told Sky Sport Italia.
Giampiero Ventura opened the door for Mario Balotelli’s return to the Italy squad, but “he needs to prove he can play for the team.”
The Azzurri Coach has not yet recalled SuperMario despite rediscovering his form at Nice and this week Balo said it’s only right he was dropped.
“He said some things that, perhaps, three years ago he wouldn’t have said,” Ventura told Sky Sport Italia.
“These remain words, though, and I am accustomed to seeing facts. There is no Balotelli problem and nobody doubted his quality or talent. If anything, other elements were up for debate.
“He has a lot of quality, but he needs to prove he can play for the team and make the difference within a squad dynamic. There are so many components that push a Coach towards his evaluation.
“I hope Balotelli can do well, but for now all I’ve seen are words. You can’t build a castle on a phrase. We must understand who is truly capable of being a protagonist for the Azzurri.”