Mario Balotelli's return to the Italy squad will not cause any problems, insists Giorgio Chiellini.
The
Liverpool forward was handed a call-up by Antonio Conte for Saturday's
Euro 2016 qualifier against Croatia and the friendly versus Albania next
Tuesday.
It is the first time the 24-year-old has been on international duty
since the World Cup, when Cesare Prandelli's side were dumped out at the
group stage and Balotelli's displays came in for particular criticism.
His form in the Premier League has drawn further negative coverage,
but Chiellini foresees no issues surrounding Balotelli's return to the
fold.
"There was nothing to fix [with Balotelli]," the Juventus defender
said. "We decided to make a point only about the World Cup. We know it
went badly.
"It's a new campaign, and you have to forget about the past, while
remembering the desire to make up for what happened in this period.
"There was no confrontation, there was no need for one. The coach
makes the decisions, we're a united group, who are focused on winning."
Chiellini questioned the value of placing Balotelli under the
continued glare of the media spotlight, adding: "I understand that for
you [the media] it's important to know how many times [Balotelli]
sneezed or went to the bathroom, but for us we only think about the team
and about winning.
"And that counts for everyone, no matter who they are."
Conte's side sit second in Group H with three wins from as many
games, trailling leaders and this weekend's opponents Croatia on goal
difference.
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