Baldini says Italy youngsters capable of more
Interim Italy boss Silvio Baldini believes the future is bright for the Azzurri and is confident that the nation's emerging talents are capable of delivering much better moving forward.
With an average age of 21 years and 354 days, it was the youngest Italian line-up since December 1912 against Austria (21y 308d) when Umberto Meazza was in charge.
Inter striker Esposito now has four goals in eight matches for Italy. He is only the third player to net more than three times for his country before turning 21, after Giuseppe Meazza (11) and Gianni Rivera (five).
Baldini was promoted from Italy's Under-21's side to take the role on an interim basis, after Gennaro Gattuso's resignation after the nation's failure to reach the World Cup.
Though Baldini acknowledged the risks that came with naming eight debutants in his starting line-up, he felt his young players held up well at Stade de Luxembourg.
"I knew these lads had quality, but also that there were dangers, as many of them were debutants," Baldini said.
"There were many Italians here showing us how much they love the Nazionale. Nothing can ever be taken for granted, but I felt that it would go our way.
"The team created some moves in attack, but is capable of much better.
"There are some mechanisms that can come naturally, but in the first half many of the movements weren't being made, so it was tough to get into scoring positions."
Italy could have scored more and made it a more comfortable outing, with Niccolo Pisilli squandering a big chance in the second half when he struck the woodwork.
The Azzurri are still on the lookout for a permanent head coach after Gattuso's departure, with Italy last playing at the World Cup in 2014.
Antonio Conte, who managed Italy from 2014 to 2016, is among the frontrunners to land the role, though Baldini revelled in his moment on the touchline for his country.
"To be honest, I am a bit strange anyway, but when there are games, I rarely feel that emotional. I mainly feel the worry of not being useful to these lads," Baldini said.
"A coach mustn't make the difference when moving a player there or here, but in telling him what he needs to hear at that moment.
"If you say the wrong thing, you can do damage, throw a cog out of sync in the machine, so I worry about being of use."
Baldini will take charge of at least one more match this Monday when Italy faces Greece before its Nations League campaign begins at the end of September.
