Italy coach Cesare Prandelli
says Stephan El Shaarawy "needs to show more character" and may not
start in the Confederations Cup third-place play-off against Uruguay.
The
AC Milan forward has featured just once in the tournament - in the 4-2
defeat to Brazil - and watched on from the bench as the Azzurri were beaten 7-6 on penalties in the semi-final clash with Spain.
And
Prandelli has voiced his concerns over the 20-year-old's mentality and
cast doubt over his involvement on Sunday, despite Mario Balotelli's
absence and concerns over Alberto Gilardino's fitness.
"I'm
convinced this experience has been a good one for him," Prandelli said
to reporters. "He needs more character. I talked to him in Coverciano
and he was mentally exhausted.
"We will evaluate him tomorrow and decide whether he can start at the final moment."
Uruguay
were beaten 2-1 by Brazil in their last four tie, but the 53-year-old
coach retains the utmost respect for his side's next opponents and
highlighted their attacking talents as their greatest strength.
He
added: "Uruguay have great quality and an extraordinary attack. We hope
to add consistency to our game plan by gaining experience against a
team that is second to none tempermentally.
"We respect and admire their spirit."
The Azzurri's
semi-final defeat to Spain came at a high cost, with Andrea Pirlo and
Claudio Marchisio joining Andrea Barzagli and Balotelli on the
sidelines, leading Prandelli to note the need for his side to improve
physically ahead of World Cup 2014.
He said: "This Confederations Cup has taught us we need to be on top of our game physically for next year's World Cup."
"We
are struggling with recovering players from injury. It would help to
gather them once or twice in a season and work with them. People have
been running near the brink all year.
"It's good that if we are
physically fit for the World Cup, that we can put pressure on any
opponent if we use the right tactics. We must bring home the knowledge
that it all depends on us and our approach.
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