No Del Piero rift, says Don
Italy boss Roberto Donadoni insists the decision to exclude Alex Del Piero from the Georgia match was purely tactical.
The Juventus captain was not even handed a place on the bench for Wednesday’s 3-1 win which fuelled speculation of a rift between the two men.
“I chose to leave Alex out for tactical reasons and for the bench I chose players who could complement one another in terms of the options they could offer,” said Donadoni.
“I respect Del Piero as he is a model professional and I can imagine he felt badly, but he will have other opportunities in the future – I am sure we will depend on him.
“No one in the national team has an assured spot in the starting line-up, this is the motto of my Italy and it’s the same for everyone.
“However, I know that when the excluded player has an important name like Del Piero, people will go crazy,” he added.
His predecessor Marcello Lippi is sure that the Azzurri can do well in the remaining qualifying matches that lie ahead.
“This group is still there to be won and I'm convinced that they will succeed,” said the Viareggino.
“As for Del Piero, it is quite normal that he didn’t enjoy being left out. He is an extraordinary player, for his behaviour and attitude, a person who is always positive for the team.
“I obviously wish he plays as much as possible, but I won't talk about the decisions taken by others.”