Since taking over the Italian national team after his resignation from his position as head coach of Juventus, Antonio Conte has been keen on revamping the Azzurri and implementing his own kind of football.
After winning the World Cup in 2006, Italy have performed dismally at their last two World Cups that saw them dumped out of the group stage, and the European powerhouse will be keen on moving past those failures as quickly as possible. Under Cesare Prandelli, they made it to the EURO 2012 finals before being dispatched by Spain and with the latest edition just around the corner, Conte has begun the process of sorting through who he feels should be a permanent fixture in his squad.
The former midfielder announced his squad recently, with one notable absentee. Liverpool's Mario Balotelli, who had been a permanent fixture under Prandelli will not be featuring in their upcoming EURO 2016 qualifying matches, despite having already served his suspension.
No room for Super Mario: The 24-year-old again misses out on a spot with the Azzurri
Instead, Conte has opted to call up Graziano Pelle, whom Eredivisie fans will know from his exploits with Feyenoord and Southampton supporters have come to appreciate as the powerful attacker has continued his great form from Holland upon arriving in the Premier League this past summer.
This means that the former Milan, Manchester City, and Inter striker has not played for his national team since they were sent packing during this summer's World Cup in Brazil.
However, the new coach was diplomatic when discussing the player's omission in his recent press conference:
"Mario has just begun on a new journey, which is not easy. He needs to be given time to get settled in a new league," he stated to reporters.
"Besides, I will be following him, just as I follow all Italians who are [plying their trades] abroad."
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