Antonio Conte upset with Italy's inability to produce top football players

Manager Antonio Conte had some harsh words regarding the state of Italian football following his team's narrow 1-0 victory over Albania on Tuesday during a friendly.

While the nation is less than 10 years from winning its fourth World Cup, Conte believes the country's problem revolves around an inability to re-produce the talents that have made Italy one of the most revered football nations in the world. 

He's described some of the Italian youth as not having the proper attitude when promoted to play for the senior team and fears the trend could lead to a bleak future for the Azzurri.

"You do not want to face up to certain things, that is the big problem. Our product is dying out," Conte told the Agence France-Presse.

"People want results immediately but often forget the climate we're working in.

"We now struggle to churn out talent and those who do come through often don't have the right attitude."

Conte added that he fears the country's concerns are misguided after blasting the coverage of the nation' most polarizing figure, Mario Balotelli.

"With all the problems we have in Italian football, we are still talking about whether Balotelli goes to a disco or not! I find it ridiculous," he said. 

With Italy scheduled to play its next Euro 2016 qualifier in March, Conte is hopeful Serie A clubs will comply with his desire to organize a friendly match during the four-month gap. However, he feels the usual preferential treatment given to the Italian league will make such a match difficult to orchestrate, thus hurting the national team in the long-term.

"Everyone says we're going through a tough time, and that it has to change. Then you look around you and realise you're on your own."