Baldini: ‘I will only call up players from Italy’s U21s’ for June friendlies

Interim Italy head coach Silvio Baldini says that he only intends to call up players from the U21 squad for June’s friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece, and has explained that coaches in Serie A need to find a balancing act between achieving results and handing opportunities to youngsters.

Baldini will lead Italy into friendly matches against Luxembourg on June 3 and Greece on June 7, both of which will be played away from home. These matches will be played in the slots that would have been reserved for World Cup warm-up matches had the Azzurri qualified.

However, following the failure to overcome Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup play-off final at the end of March and the subsequent resignation of head coach Gennaro Gattuso, Italy are expected to call-up a youthful squad for the June friendlies, and Baldini claims that these players will all come from the U21 squad.

“Being the coach of the U21s, and after the resignation of Gattuso, I will only call up players from the U21s for the two friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece. It’s an act of logic, not one of courage,” said interim Italy coach Baldini during the presentation of the Maurizio Maestrelli Award on Tuesday.

“You have to know how to choose the right people. At the time of the proposal, I said to President Gravina ‘I accept, but I’ll bring the U21s’. I want to enhance my work and also show who these guys are.”

Recent reports indicate that national team captain Gianluigi Donnarumma has made himself available for the upcoming June friendlies, but it remains to be seen whether his services will be called upon.

Baldini went on to discuss his own career to date. The 67-year-old has held 20 different head coach roles in a long and eventful career, but only once has he lasted any longer than two seasons.

“Everyone has their own story. I’ve got my path, I wouldn’t say it’s a complicated one, but I’ve experienced certain situations since I was young and I’ve always been on guard, I’ve always defended myself. When these situations arise, I know that I give the worst version of myself, so it’s better to leave,” he explained.

Then, the interim CT gave his thoughts on the recent issues surrounding the Italy national team and the calls for young players to be given more opportunities in Serie A.

“All these guys need to understand is that to be complete players, you have to play for the collective, you have to be a group. To be a group, you have to respect the rules. They are not impositions, but they make people more disciplined.

“We talk a lot about the need to let young players play, to have courage, but then say it’s the result that counts. If you don’t win, the journey doesn’t matter. It’s hard to teach people that you’re not just playing for the result.

“We all say that it’s the winning that matters, not the participation, that second place are the first losers. If we go on with this mindset, tell me how we’re supposed to help youngsters grow, to have courage, to not be afraid. It’s not easy to combine these two things.

“I’ve been coaching for many years and I’ve ended up in a situation that I never expected to happen.”