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De Rossi welcomes next generation	Sunday 12 October, 2008

Daniele De Rossi has praised Italy's revamped side and welcomed in the next generation of Azzurri. “This was always the great thing about this squad, that it can allow youngsters to settle in, and I am one of the prime examples of that,” said the Roma midfielder. Marcello Lippi made sweeping changes to his team for the 0-0 World Cup qualifier with Bulgaria, lowering the average age of the starting XI from 29 to 27. Simone Pepe and Giuseppe Rossi made their debuts and Riccardo Montolivo also made the definitive step up from the Under-21 side. “We saw some definite improvements from recent games and that leads us to be optimistic,” continued De Rossi. “I am happy in this side, feel relaxed with the team and it's not easy considering the difference from the everyday work of a club situation.”

Italy: New boys earn Bulgarian draw Simone Pepe and Giuseppe Rossi made good debuts as Italy grabbed a point in their goalless draw away to Bulgaria. More Lippi admires new Azzurri Marcello Lippi was satisfied with the way his new picks gelled with the old guard in Sofia. More Pepe enjoys Italy debut Simone Pepe played the entire 90 minutes on his Italy debut and admits he couldn't quite believe it until he was handed the shirt. More Chiellini: How I blocked Berbatov Giorgio Chiellini was in doubt for the trip to Bulgaria, but had a strong game and kept Dimitar Berbatov quiet. More Gilardino targets Montenegro Alberto Gilardino reaffirms his good current form and hopes to start again on Wednesday after Luca Toni's ban. More