Conte: Pirlo, Giovinco snubs 'consequences' of going to MLS

Italy bench boss Antonio Conte obviously has no intention of making friends in Major League Soccer.

During a press conference Tuesday, the Azzurri tactician addressed a host of topics relating to the naming of his provisional 30-man squad for Euro 2016. Naturally, the omissions of Andrea Pirlo and Sebastian Giovinco, both based in MLS, was the first topic on the docket.

Related: Giovinco, Pirlo omitted from Italy's 30-man provisional Euro 2016 team

Conte, who managed both men during his trophy-laden spell at Juventus, said he spoke to the bearded midfielder about his decision to leave him off the squad, noting the decision to leave Europe for North America weighed heavily when selecting his team.

"I heard from Andrea, I needed to hear from him and we sent people to the US," Conte said. "However, we’ve made other choices and you have to accept them and deal with the consequences. Nothing was left to chance.

"We evaluated him and Giovinco, it’s normal that if you choose to go and play there then you can pay the consequences in footballing terms. We evaluated them technically, we didn’t leave anything to chance. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong, we went everywhere to have clear and precise ideas.

Conte added: "I picked the 30 who I think will give me the most guarantees."

Italy plays Scotland and Finland in upcoming friendlies to prepare for Euro 2016, and Conte admits he has only a few final decisions to make before submitting his final 23-man group for the competition.

Italy, runner-up at Euro 2012, will open its tournament June 13 against Belgium.