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Italy coach Giampiero Ventura viewed his team's 3-0 victory over Uruguay as a step in the right direction, while flagging a return to the Azzurri setup for Mario Balotelli. Defender Jose Gimenez scored an own goal in the eighth minute and the visitors never recovered with Eder adding the second before Daniele De Rossi rifled home a stoppage-time penalty that was given away by Gimenez. "This group has a good future," Ventura said in his news conference. "We are carrying out a project and the kids are gaining awareness. "We are satisfied with what we have produced. We are on the right track. "The signals are positive. But we know we have not arrived. At the moment, we are also in the process of generational change. "It has great potential in the short term and a bright future. Tonight, we showed a beautiful mentality. This is the most important thing." Ventura left Nice striker Balotelli out of his squad, which will now play Liechtenstein in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday. The boss has left the door open to the 26-year-old, who has scored 13 goals in 33 games for his country, providing he is ready to be part of a team. Ventura added: "It is not his talent that is questioned. It is a discussion of having a motive other than scoring a goal or not. All the coaches who had him had problems with him. "Balotelli cannot be just any other player. There are players who cannot be extras, they must be actors. This is his case. The day when he will do it, the door will be wide open for him. "He knows perfectly well what he has to do. We talked about it together."
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