Malta coach Pietro Ghedin has hit back at the criticism of Antonio Conte ahead of his side’s Euro 2016 qualifier with Italy on Monday night.
The Azzurri were criticised following an underwhelming 2-1 victory at home to Azerbaijan on Friday but Ghedin believes the future is bright for Italy under his former player Conte.
“Conte is revitalising the Italian national team,” Ghedin told Sky Sport Italia.
“As a player and a coach he always gave his best and does not deserve the criticism I have read.”
Ghedin was part of the Italian coaching staff during the reigns of Cesare Maldini, Giovanni Trapattoni and Dino Zoff and coached Conte as a player, where he grew a great admiration for him as a professional.
“Antonio put character, seriousness, application and hunger into everything,” Ghedin told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“He was a lovely lad, always ready to work hard. It wasn’t easy to find space in that team, but Antonio worked his way into it.
“He was good in different midfield roles and I think that helped him to become a Coach, as from midfield you can see and understand the game better.
“Conte deserved to be appointed Italy coach, as he’s not there by fluke. I’ll gladly hug him when we meet up.”
Despite the criticism, a win would put Italy on the maximum nine points after three games and firmly in the driving seat for automatic qualification.
