beIN SPORTS

By Adam Digby (@Adz77)

Serie A was blessed with some superb attacking talent this season, with a record-breaking campaign from leading goal scorer Gonzalo Higuain foremost among them. The Argentinian striker's remarkable final tally of 36 topped Gunnar Nordal's previous best – which had stood since 1949/50 – courtesy of a superb overhead kick in Napoli's final fixture. 

Following in the former Real Madrid star’s wake were three fellow South Americans, with compatriot Paulo Dybala netting 19 in his debut season with Juventus and Mauro Icardi adding 16 for Inter. Across town at AC Milan, Carlos Bacca’s haul of 18 ensured that native Italian talent finished much further down the scoring charts than usual, as Genoa front man Leonardo Pavoletti and Andrea Belotti of Torino enjoyed breakout campaigns.

Yet when Antonio Conte named his preliminary squad for Euro 2016 on Monday, that duo were nowhere to be seen, the Italy boss instead preferring to call up players who have long been part of the Azzurri setup. It has become almost impossible to defend those selections however, with the four strikers included by the Coach having netted a woeful total 13 league goals between them in 2016.

Graziano Pellè and Ciro Immobile each scored five, while Simone Zaza – who started just eight games in all competitions for Juventus this season – struck twice and Éder managed only a single goal following his move to Inter in January. Conte, as he has throughout his managerial career, clearly favours players who display a strong work ethic rather than those in form, a stance reflected throughout this most recent squad and one which may cost Italy dearly when the tournament gets underway.

He has finally ended the inexplicable exclusion of Lorenzo Insigne after a misunderstanding over an earlier injury, with Higuain’s Napoli team-mate finally adding to his woefully low tally of international caps. Playing the two matches the Azzurri contested in March – and netting against Spain – saw the 24 year old’s number of appearances rise to eight, with six of those coming before Conte’s arrival on the bench.

The former Juve boss has taken a similarly bizarre stance against the über-talented Domenico Berardi, who has yet to pull on Italy’s famous blue jersey despite three outstanding campaigns with Sassuolo. Weighing in with a sensational 38 goals and 22 assists in his first 90 top flight matches, the 21 year old has powered the Neroverdi to a Europa League berth this term alongside Nicola Sansone, yet he too has not been selected by Conte.

A penchant for picking up needless bookings is often cited as a reason for scepticism, yet Berardi’s ten bookings equated to one every 218 minutes played and pales in comparison to Zaza’s mark of one every 110 minutes. There is also no place for Palermo’s Franco Vázquez, whose eight goals and seven assists kept his side from relegation nor Riccardo Saponara of Empoli, despite the latter’s eleven assists being the highest of any Italian player in 2015/16. 

Marco Verratti would surely have been a part of Conte’s squad, but he too has all too often found himself on the sidelines, with only seven of his 15 caps coming under the current regime. Despite becoming an integral part of the Paris Saint-Germain side that has advanced deep into the knockout stages of the Champions League, the 23 year old has played just 488 minutes for Italy under Conte. 

A clear favourite of the Coach, Emanuele Giaccherini was even favoured as the midfield playmaker in a qualifying match against Norway, and he is once again included despite being a distinctly average player. Seeing his name there over MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco is jarring, the forward playing the best football of his career since swapping Turin for Toronto last year, with a return of 30 goals and 18 assists in 45 TFC appearances.

The one vibrant young player who has been selected is Fiorentina’s Federico Bernardeschi, but he has been listed as a wing-back, a role in which he has looked poor for the Viola, with his best displays all coming when deployed in a more attacking position by Conte’s former team-mate Paulo Sousa.

Verratti’s PSG team-mate Salvatore Sirigu also retains his place, despite having lost his starting place to Kevin Trapp at the Parc des Princes meaning Gianluigi Donnarumma will watch the tournament at home rather than being Gigi Buffon’s understudy. The teenager made his AC Milan debut this term, impressing observers with his maturity and command of the defence in front of him, stirring echoes of the Juventus icon’s own breakout with Parma two decades earlier.

It would have clearly benefitted the Azzurri to include the youngster here, handing him valuable experience and setting up the team for many years if “Gigone” maintains his current form. For Conte however, the future is quite literally a foreign country, with the Chelsea job awaiting him once Italy are eliminated from Euro 2016. That has meant Rossoneri defender Alessio Romagnoli (21) – another man certain to become a cornerstone of this side – has also missed out, with error-prone duo Angelo Ogbonna (West Ham) and Davide Astori (Fiorentina) instead receiving the call.

Finding themselves in a difficult group which also contains Sweden, Belgium and Republic of Ireland, it was always going to be a tough task for Italy to progress to the knockout stages, but Conte’s choices have undoubtedly hindered them further. He will preach the virtues of unity and effort, wringing every last ounce of ability from those selected, but his successor must surely make better use of the available talent.

When their involvement in the tournament comes to an end, Italy will need to undertake a long overdue overhaul, something Antonio Conte has shown no interest in even beginning.