Solomeo (Perugia), 20 May (LaPresse) – “The national team’s crisis? I still believe there are some very good players in Italy. Some are in the Premier League, Calafiori has just won the league, and we have Donnarumma, who is the best goalkeeper in the world. The standard of Italian football is probably not the ideal platform to develop them to their full potential. We could then open up a whole range of other discussions, starting with the youth sectors.” This was stated by Fiorentina’s sporting director Fabio Paratici speaking in Solomeo at the presentation event for the European Golden Boy Top 100, the list of the best Under-21 players competing in a European league. “The national team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup for three consecutive tournaments is, I believe, truly a mystery, a tragedy. The Italian teams that are knocked out of European competitions are not, in my view, an indicator that the system is in crisis; it is the national team that reflects the value of the movement,” added the Viola director. “What are the ways out? I am optimistic. We have a product; if we are not good enough to make the most of it, that is our problem. We must try to do better; it is our responsibility.”
Paratici: ‘National team flop? There are good players in Italy, I’m optimistic’
Solomeo (Perugia), 20 May (LaPresse) – “The national team’s crisis? I still believe there are some very good players in Italy. Some are in the Premier League, Calafiori has just won the league, and we have Donnarumma, who is the best goalkeeper in the world. The standard of Italian football is probably not the ideal platform to develop them to their full potential. We could then open up a whole range of other discussions, starting with the youth sectors.” This was stated by Fiorentina’s sporting director Fabio Paratici speaking in Solomeo at the presentation event for the European Golden Boy Top 100, the list of the best Under-21 players competing in a European league. “The national team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup for three consecutive tournaments is, I believe, truly a mystery, a tragedy. The Italian teams that are knocked out of European competitions are not, in my view, an indicator that the system is in crisis; it is the national team that reflects the value of the movement,” added the Viola director. “What are the ways out? I am optimistic. We have a product; if we are not good enough to make the most of it, that is our problem. We must try to do better; it is our responsibility.”
