Soccer: Conte fires warning shots

(ANSA) - Rome, November 11 - Italy coach Antonio Conte has fired some warning shots at the players who hope to be part of his Euro 2016 squad next year as he prepares for Friday's friendly against Belgium on Friday and Tuesday's clash against Romania in Bologna.
    The Azzurri boss also said he has doubts about the international future of Andrea Pirlo, the national team's main creative thrust for over a decade, after the midfielder's move to MLS side New York City from Juventus in the summer.
    Conte started the week by stressing that attitude is as important as a player's form for him.
    "Anyone who does not recognise the importance of the national team shirt is out of place, inadequate and unjustifiable," Conte said. "Every now and again it's right to remind them that it's a privilege to wear the Italy shirt. "Some people understood this right away, others later and some are still not there". The comments were widely seen as being directed at Napoli striker Lorenzo Insigne and Sassuolo forward Domenico Berardi.
    Both dropped out of Conte's squad for Italy's final Euro 2016 qualifiers, against Azerbaijan and Norway, due to knocks.
    The coach did not call either up for the upcoming friendlies, including a big test against a Belgium side who are currently ranked number one in the world. Conte also said that Pirlo's future with the national team could be put in peril by the playmaker's lack of competitive action in the Major League Soccer's closed season.
    The 36-year-old midfielder, who has not been called up either, is set to be inactive until the start of the 2016 MLS season in March unless he lands a loan stint elsewhere as New York failed to make the playoffs in the United States.
    "If Pirlo does not give me the answers that I hope for in March, I'll have to make some assessments and consider whether he can be part of the national team," Conte said Monday.
    He added that he hopes Pirlo does come back to Italy on loan, amid reports Inter are trying to sign him.
    "I'd be very happy if he came back to Italy," Conte said.
    The national team and Juventus will lay flowers at the plaque at the King Baudouin Stadium recalling the deaths of 39 fans at the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985 on Thursday.
    Italy will also symbolically retire the number 39 shirt - a number never used as squads go up to 23 - and there will be a pause in the 39th minute of Friday's match to remember the victims of crowd trouble before the 1985 European Cup final.