ITALY VETERAN ANDREA Pirlo was among the absentees as coach Antonio Conte named a provisional 28-man squad today for a pre-Euro 2016 training camp with several stars absent with cup finals to play.
The 46-year-old Conte will take over as Chelsea manager after the June 10-July 10 tournament in France in which Italy face Ireland, Belgium and Sweden in Group E.
Conte, who earlier today was cleared of sporting fraud charges relating to a match-fixing affair while he was coach of Serie B team Siena in 2011, can now focus on the Azzurri although questions remain over his final 23-man squad.
Italy players yet to play cup finals — namely those with Juventus, AC Milan, Paris Saint Germain and Manchester United — were left out of the reckoning altogether, meaning Conte’s final squad on 31 May could look very different.
Defender Leonardo Bonucci was the only Juventus player included for the first training camp beginning Wednesday at Coverciano near Florence because he is suspended for the Italian Cup final against AC Milan on 21 May.
With midfielders Claudio Marchisio (Juventus) and Marco Verratti (PSG) ruled out through serious injury, there is a place for Roma’s tough-tackling defensive midfielder Daniele de Rossi.
World Cup winner Pirlo, 36, who had come out of retirement following Italy’s first-round exit from the 2014 World Cup, was a notable, although not a surprise, absentee.
Since his move from Juventus to New York City, Pirlo has fallen out of favour amid reports he is lacking the required fitness. It now looks increasingly unlikely he will play at Euro 2016.
Conte has rewarded Domenico Berardi for a string of fine goal-scoring performances with Serie A minnows Sassuolo, who pipped AC Milan to sixth place and a possible spot in next season’s Europa League.
Toronto striker Sebastian Giovinco, who played under Conte at Juventus, has been recalled while Sunderland’s Fabio Borini, who featured at Euro 2012 without playing a game, has been given the nod by Conte for the first time.
Conte called up seven players who had never graced the Italy squad in Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello, Genoa defender Armando Izzo, Empoli defender Lorenzo Tonelli, midfielders Marco Benassi (Torino), Danilo Cataldi (Lazio), Davide Zappacosta (Torino) and Genoa striker Leonardo Pavoletti.
Three other players, other than Borini, return to the fray in goalkeepers Antonio Mirante (Bologna), Federico Marchetti (Lazio) and West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna.
Among the notable absentees due to cup duty are goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), defenders Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini (both Juventus), Luca Antonelli (Milan), midfielders Thiago Motta (PSG) and Riccardo Montolivo (Milan), goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu (PSG) and Manchester United fullback Matteo Darmian.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Federico Marchetti (Lazio), Antonio Mirante (Bologna), Marco Sportiello (Atalanta)
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Sassuolo), Davide Astori (Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Armando Izzo (Genoa), Angelo Obinze Ogbonna (West Ham/ENG), Lorenzo Tonelli (Empoli)
Midfielders: Marco Benassi (Torino), Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Danilo Cataldi (Lazio), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Lorenzo De Silvestri (Sampdoria), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Emanuele Giaccherini (Bologna), Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Napoli), Marco Parolo (Lazio), Roberto Soriano (Sampdoria), Davide Zappacosta (Torino)
Forwards: Fabio Borini (Sunderland/ENG), Citadin Martins Eder (Inter Milan), Ciro Immobile (Torino), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Leonardo Pavoletti (Genoa), Graziano Pellè (Southampton/ENG).
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Pity, would have loved to have seen him in action one more time, an artist of a footballer
You can watch him on Sky Sports every weekend in MLS
Sorry, can’t afford sky sports!
Lads I don’t even think borini would get in our squad
There is no way they will bring him, he will be first one cut fron the list, I assume some of the players were picked just to fill a squad for the training camp so they can have full games
Poor squad by Italian standards. Can’t see them getting out the group.
They’ve good pedigree which can count for a lot in these tournaments
Who can finish ahead of them though, aside from Belgium? Our team isn’t any better and Sweden are muck
He is not in the squad…. Unlikely? What kind of headline is that?
Someone could get injured in fairness…
Is there any way we could get Pirlo to wear a Glenn Whelan mask.
It’d never fit
Ye that squad is very poor for their standards. We actaully have a chance to get second in our group or most likely get through as one of best placed 3rd teams
Italians like a bit of bribery, this is chance for Delaney to do something useful with those wages
It is poor, but Buffon, Chiellini, Bonucci, Barzagli, Florenzi, De Rossi, and Motta would all walk into the Irish team. How many of our players would walk into theirs? We always have a chance, past tournaments (Euro 2012 aside) bear this out; but let’s not kid ourselves. Even without Marchetti and Verratti, Italy are still much better on paper than Ireland.
Thought Pirlo was gonna get a recall with Verratti and Marchisio injured
No Pirlo. No Party.
Don’t worry Joe Allen will be there
No room for Mario?
May not be their best squad but they have the knack of progressing in tournaments