Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon believes that former Bianconeri coach Antonio Conte is the right man to lead the Italian national squad.
The veteran goalkeeper, who also serves as the Azzurri’s skipper, was recently interviewed on a variety of topics including his coach, teammate Simone Zaza, erstwhile colleague Mario Balotelli, and their upcoming Euro 2016 qualifying clash with Norway.
“The differences between Conte at Juventus and here with the national team? [Naturally], there are many similarities, especially in his footballing concepts, so it’s [basically] a continuation of [working with him] when at Juventus,” he noted in a pre-match press conference.
“[With regards] to Norway, as a Scandinavian team, they play very physically and can cause us problems with their long balls and aerial strength. [Hence], we have to respect them and not take this match lightly.”
With Balotelli being left out of the squad for their friendly win over Netherlands, Buffon was naturally asked of his opinions on the Liverpool striker, as well as the emergence of Simone Zaza on the international scene.
“Balotelli? I don’t want to talk about him anymore. We’re footballers, and he’s our colleague but we can’t teach someone how to conduct themselves.
“As for Zaza, I’m not surprised at how well he’s doing because I’ve always liked him as a player, even when I had to play against him.”
Finally, he also discussed the topic of foreigners in Italy, as well as his own retirement plans.
“Regarding foreigners, for me, it’s not about the number, but the quality. However, something has to change because we have failed miserably in our last two World Cups, yet still have the same flow of talent coming up through the ranks which means that there is something wrong that needs to be modified.
“And, as for me, I’m feeling good and have no plans to retire soon.”
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