32 players have been called up in total (27 from Serie A and five from Serie B) with an average age of 22 and three months. These are the figures from the first two training camps dedicated to emerging young Italian players which underpin Gian Piero Ventura’s will to oversee a generational change and expand the number of players who are ready to be part of the Italy team. Among the ten new faces at the second camp was Kevin Bonifazi, the Spal defender has been one of the top talents in Serie B and he earned a call-up alongside his teammate Alex Meret. “For me, it’s a great personal satisfaction as these call-ups are unmissable opportunities,” said Bonifazi. Having developed in Torino’s youth system, the defender knew Ventura from his time at the Granata. “He’s a cheerful and calm person,” he added. “I’d define him as a maestro.”  His name might mean ‘English’ in Italian, but Chievo’s Roberto Inglese was born and bred in Italy and he scored his first Serie A hat-trick against Sassuolo on 12th February before netting three at the training match which ended the camp. “For me, this is a magical moment,” said Inglese before leaving Coverciano. “I’m good mentally and physically and scoring a lot helps a lot as your self-confidence grows. Let’s hope to continue like that.” Picked for both camps, Inglese hasn’t lost his sense of humility which allowed him to earn a starting spot at Chievo. “It was a great experience to be at Coverciano for these two days, there were very strong players here even if they’re very young.”  Two of the key players at highflying Atalanta, Mattia Caldara and Andrea Petagna were at their second camp and they’re ready to play role for Italy in the not too distant future. “I expected the call-up because I think that I’ve played well and we’re having a great season at Atalanta,” said Petagna. “Ventura and Gasperini are two different coaches, one thing that struck me with Ventura is how he explains football and movement.”  Caldara was also back for the second time in three months. “Ventura looks to transmit the most ideas possible to us in a short period of time so we are already prepared tactically,” he said. “Gasperini and Ventura are different tactically because the first likes a three-man defence and the other a four-man defence. With the first, I have to think more about man-marking and dealing with long balls as the last man back but I can do well in both systems. In terms of personality, they’re similar.”  In the photos (Getty Images) Home Page: Four Atalanta players at the camp (Caldara, Petagna, Spinazzola and Conti). In the second is Chievo’s Roberto Inglese

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