Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Antonio Conte: Italian football is on its way 'back to the top'

Italy coach Antonio Conte feels the Italian game is on the up once more.

While Serie A clubs dominated Europe for much of the 1980s and 1990s, in recent years they have fallen behind with the Italian top flight trailing behind La Liga, the Premier League and the Bundesliga.

However, Conte, buoyed by the performance of his former club Juventus in reaching last season's Champions League final and of other Serie A clubs who are starting to regain a competitive edge in Europe, says Italian football is on the rise again.

"We're on our way back to the top," he said in the latest edition of FIFA magazine "1904." "The clubs have started to invest in youth football again, and the association has launched good, ambitious development projects.

"We are now in a very exciting period, which I would compare with where Germany were about 15 years ago, when the German FA began to step up training centres in every region.

"And we all know how well that project turned out, with Germany winning the 2014 World Cup with the players who were just kids back then."

Conte, meanwhile, has set his sights on overseeing seven games at Euro 2016 with a warning that Italy intend to go all the way.

Having qualified for this summer's tournament quicker than for any previous European Championship, Italy will head to France in an upbeat mood.

However, memories of their group-stage elimination at the 2014 World Cup and a slide to 15th in the latest FIFA ranking means they will not be considered by many as one of the favourites.

That, though, does not bother Conte, who has a plan which he intends to follow.

"Let's just say that we have ambitions," he said. "It doesn't matter to me if we are one of the favourites or not. Maybe we will just be dangerous outsiders in France. The main thing is that we prepare for this European Championship as well as we can.

"If all goes to plan we will play seven matches, so it would be a case of doing our best seven times. You have to get a lot right if you are to win a tournament. You can never write off Italy."

Conte also said that he would have no qualms about asking some other Italian coaches for advice prior to this summer's tournament.

"As a player, I was fortunate to be able to learn from good coaches," he said. "Marcello Lippi, Giovanni Trapattoni, Arrigo Sacchi, Carlo Ancelotti -- so it is certainly worth making a few calls. I will then combine all the advice I receive with my own ideas.

"Working as a national team coach is always an opportunity for the coach himself too. I want to become a complete coach. So it is important I also put my own ideas into practice."

^ Back to Top ^