Antonio Conte insisted his return to Turin for Italy's 1-1 draw against England prompted "very fond memories". Former Juventus manager Conte replaced Cesare Prandelli as Italy boss in August after the Azzurri's FIFA World Cup™ group-stage exit last summer, but his first seven months in charge of the national team have been topsy-turvy.
Conte, who guided the Turin giants to three Serie A titles before taking over as Italy boss in August, was back at Juventus Stadium for Tuesday night's friendly with England and admitted the occasion had been emotional.
"I have been quite emotional over the last few days, including at training yesterday, and being back here brought back some very fond memories," he told the Italian Football Federation website.
Graziano Pelle's first-half strike looked like being enough to earn Italy victory, but Andros Townsend's long-range effort 11 minutes from time secured England a share of the spoils. Conte was disappointed Italy could not hold on to their lead, but was encouraged by their play as they stretched their unbeaten run to eight games.
"It's a shame (to concede the equaliser) because we had a lot of chances against a good England team," he added. "Nevertheless, I'm pleased because I got answers from all the players, both the ones that played the full 90 minutes and others, such as (Mirko) Valdifiori, who played only 60.
"We still need to continue to work hard in order to allow the players to develop and be ready at international level. We need them to gain confidence for them to get even better."
Source: FIFA.com