Ventura: 'Italy players want revenge on Germany'

Tuesday's friendly is the first meeting between the two sides since the world champion knocked Italy out of Euro 2016 in a quarterfinal penalty shoot-out when it was managed by Antonio Conte.

"There is obviously a will to get revenge after defeat at the Euros. I believe that is normal, but the performance is more important than the result."

Italy head coach Giampiero Ventura says his players will be out for revenge when they take on Germany at San Siro.

Tuesday's friendly is the first meeting between the two sides since the world champion knocked Italy out of Euro 2016 in a quarterfinal penalty shoot-out when it was managed by Antonio Conte.

Ventura thinks wanting to atone for that defeat is a normal emotion for his squad, but stressed what he most wants to see is signs of progress, rather than a victory at any cost. 

"There is obviously a will to get revenge after defeat at the Euros," he said at his pre-match media conference. "I believe that is normal, but the performance is more important than the result.

"Germany are the most well-organised side on the planet, so it's not the best game to experiment in but I'm not fearful - we try to play football and win every game.

"A weaker opponent would have been better to try some new things. Italy v Germany is a big fixture that cannot be disregarded.

"Results matter but you need to look at the bigger picture, obviously with an eye on planning.

"Our future is not just tomorrow. The Germany game must offer a glance into the future that we want.

"My debut was against France [a 3-1 home friendly loss in September] and people only spoke about the result, but my aim is to care for the young players.

"The result will matter and I know that. However, there will be other things to look at after the match.

"After we play Germany we have to understand what the match taught us. They are the world champions."

Ventura revealed he has learned much about international management since replacing Conte at the helm and reiterated his belief that his job was a long-term project.

He added: "I'm proud to be Italy coach. There is a will to develop and be involved and I don't have regrets.

"I have always come into jobs where there's a need to rebuild. So now I feel comfortable doing so.

"To achieve your objectives, a complete programme is needed. You need a system and Germany are a good example of that.

"I didn't quite understand the difficulties of international management before. There is a will to work but more time is needed."