Italy boss Roberto Mancini spoke to the press ahead of the Azzurri's two UEFA European Championship qualifiers. The coach discussed the recent derby d'Italia, as well as some of the individual players set to take the field in the upcoming matches:
"When I watched Juventus-Inter, it appeared to me that many of the Italian players were better, and they were being counted on by their coaches. They could have a more important part in the clubs' future.
In Italy sometimes there is an exaggerated level of passion for football. For Conte, in England, that didn't happen. And coming back to Italy, where in the last 10 years the way of experiencing the game is exaggerated, that's how it is. I don't know what his outburst was in reference to.
De Rossi? Our evaluations were the same as for Buffon in Netherlands match. We want to give the legends another chance to salute the fans. Sensi and Florenzi? We'll see tomorrow. Di Lorenzo earned his call-up. We will make choices in the midfield: Tonali will be recalled from the U-21. Insigne and Bernardeschi are important for us, while sometimes they're hurt or not playing well, we want to continue to include them. Balotelli? He did well against Napoli, but he still needs match fitness. Yes, I have spoken to him."
