MX23RW : Wednesday, November 6 00:33:07| >> :120:6838:6838:

Antonio Conte not ruling out Mario Balotelli recall

Italy head coach Antonio Conte admits that he would consider recalling Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli to the national side.

Antonio Conte has said that he has not ruled out recalling Mario Balotelli to his Italy squad in the future.

The Liverpool striker was left out of the squad for Italy's friendly against the Netherlands last month, and was suspended for their Euro 2016 qualifier against Norway.

The former Juventus boss, who took over at the national side following Cesare Prandelli's departure earlier this summer, told Corriere dello Sport: "I have no prejudice against Mario. I do not rule anyone out, but I do demand my players act like professionals. If you are not focused, if you wander about thinking only of yourself and basically graze on the pitch, then that's not good enough for me.

"My choice not to call Balotelli and [Alessio] Cerci was natural in that sense. From here on we'll see who will play, how they play and what attitudes are like on and off the field.

"With me it's a constant revolving door policy, so you can come in and you can go out. I want a squad of 25-30 players based on meritocracy. I am not interested if your name is x or y, as I want 30 people who think 'we are the Nazionale'."

Italy have qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Malta next month.

ID:177782: cacheID:177782:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2514:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Juventus head coach Antonio Conte shows his dejection during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and Juventus at Stadio Artemio Franchi on October 20, 2013
Read Next:
Conte impressed with start to Italy reign
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!