The Italy national football team has finalized its roster for upcoming June friendlies after interim coach Silvio Baldini made a last-minute substitution, bringing Cesena midfielder Tommaso Berti into the squad at the Coverciano training center. The move follows the withdrawal of Genoa-owned Lorenzo Venturino, who departed the training camp after being deemed unavailable due to a minor knee issue requiring scheduled surgery.
Why This Matters:
• Youth experiment in motion: Baldini's Italy squad is centered on emerging talent from lower divisions and youth academies, signaling a generational reset after World Cup qualification failure.
• Berti's breakthrough: The 22-year-old earns his first senior national team call-up after playing for Cesena in Serie B this season.
• Fixtures locked: Italy faces Luxembourg on June 3 in Luxembourg City, then Greece on June 7 in Crete.
• Baldini's approach: The interim coach has prioritized emerging talent and intensity over experience, giving opportunities to players primarily from the Under-21 setup and second-tier clubs.
Venturino's Exit Opens Door for Berti
Lorenzo Venturino, the 23-year-old forward currently contracted to Genoa, left the Coverciano facility early Sunday morning in agreement with his club. The striker has been dealing with a knee issue that requires scheduled medical attention. With his availability limited by this concern and ongoing club commitments, Venturino's departure created the opportunity for Baldini to bring in fresh talent.
Baldini wasted no time filling the vacancy. Tommaso Berti, who was training with Cesena through the Serie B season's conclusion, received the call and joined the Azzurri group at the national training center. The midfielder made the leap to senior squad competition, joining a roster dominated by players with little to no experience at this level.
Late Arrival for Catanzaro's Favasuli
Another late addition to the camp is Costantino Favasuli, the Catanzaro midfielder who was granted special dispensation by Baldini to participate in the Serie B promotion playoff final on Saturday evening. Favasuli was cleared to join the national team setup on May 30, ensuring he would be available for the full preparation cycle ahead of the Luxembourg and Greece fixtures.
Favasuli's inclusion underscores Baldini's willingness to accommodate club commitments while assembling a squad heavily skewed toward emerging talent from the second tier and youth development programs. The midfielder will remain with the group through June 7, providing depth in a congested midfield rotation.
Baldini's Youth-First Vision
Appointed as interim boss following Gennaro Gattuso's resignation and Italy's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Baldini has made no secret of his intention to overhaul the national team's identity. His selection philosophy prioritizes enthusiasm, pace, and intensity over experience, a stark departure from previous cycles that leaned on established Serie A veterans.
The squad is populated largely by players who have yet to earn a senior cap or have minimal international experience. Many were drawn from the Under-21 setup, a group Baldini knows intimately from his previous coaching assignments. The interim coach has emphasized the importance of giving opportunities to emerging talent from clubs across Italian football, not just the top flight.
Testing Ground for a New Era
The matches against Luxembourg and Greece carry minimal competitive stakes but maximum symbolic weight. Baldini has framed these fixtures as the beginning of a multi-year reconstruction project, one that prioritizes development over immediate results. These friendlies will provide the first concrete test of whether this cohort of young players can demonstrate the quality needed to rebuild Italy's national team.
For Berti and Favasuli, the opportunity represents a significant step in their careers. A strong showing could cement their places in future squads and attract attention from larger clubs. For Italian football as a whole, these friendlies mark the start of an experiment—one that asks whether the next generation can rebuild what the previous one could not sustain.
