Ventura, from Icardi to Balotelli and everything in between: "Donnarumma? The new Buffon"

From Pellè to Donnarumma and everything in between, Giampiero Ventura talked to Radio anch'io Sport about being manager of the Italian national team: "It's a stimulating and challenging adventure, but the goal is to make the most of the players available to us, especially the youngest ones."   On the pressure and critics: "Pressure is a part of life for every coach, and after 30 years of football you can support it. Whoever says that I'm not fit for this role doesn't know me. Some say that I never won titles, but I never coached a team that was in the scudetto race:  my staff and I obtained other results in addition to the goals of the team I was coaching, we launched the careers of dozens of young players who ended up in national teams, and made them earn millions. You can't cancel out 30 years of football," - the coach continued - "The real problem is the historical period that Italy is going through, with great players whose careers are over, about to finish, and young players who are coming in. It's a delicate moment that must be managed with reason and tranquility." He talked about the individual players, starting off with Pellè: "He has to do a little reflecting, he's a good player that means well. And nothing is denied to anyone, not even Pellé. I hope Pellé's gesture isn't misunderstood, people have seen worse in football. It's different on the national stage though, and the Euros created an image of a correct, positive group: this gesture has affected what the national team represents." Then, he spoke about Balotelli and Donnarumma: "Mario is a player with great potential and quality who was held back by an attitude that doesn't put players in the position to be their best. The doors are open for everyone but in recent years, the talent level has lowered, and the gap must be closed through the attitude of the players and the tactical nature of the team: the team has precedence over individuals. He must make his quality available to the team, not the other way around: this is the big step he has to make. Donnarumma is a player with an extraordinary future ahead of him. A new Buffon is being born". On the Serie A: "We shouldn't take anything for granted, especially at the beginning of the season, and the return of Milan and Roma makes it more exciting." Finally, he talked about Inter and Icardi: "It's a difficult moment for everyone. Icardi put himself in this situation. De Boer is less at fault: it's not easy for a foreign coach to come into a team right before the season. He doesn't speak Italian, he doesn't know the Serie A very well: he needs time to figure out what went wrong and what he has to do in Italy. It's a difficult moment for Inter, Icardi and Boer. The history of Inter deserves something better in this moment.  It's the club that determines what happens, not the fans." @GIANMARCalciO