Stand-in Italy coach Alberico Evani is ‘in contact’ with Roberto Mancini during tonight’s friendly with Estonia. ‘We will all have to live with these difficulties for a while.’
It kicks off at 19.45 GMT, click here for the line-ups and LIVEBLOG.
Curiously, Evani’s last cap for Italy was against Estonia 26 years ago, whereas this is his first game as a senior Italy coach, albeit sitting in for Mancini.
Stand-in Italy coach Alberico Evani is ‘in contact’ with Roberto Mancini during tonight’s friendly with Estonia. ‘We will all have to live with these difficulties for a while.’
It kicks off at 19.45 GMT, click here for the line-ups and LIVEBLOG.
Curiously, Evani’s last cap for Italy was against Estonia 26 years ago, whereas this is his first game as a senior Italy coach, albeit sitting in for Mancini.
“It’s destiny, I guess, an end and a beginning,” Evani told RAI Sport.
“I hope it goes well, as we had a lot of difficulties in the build-up to this match, but we trust the lads will do well. We have to live with these issues for a while, both injuries and COVID, but we had also assumed that we’d play this game with a young squad that needed it to gain experience.
“We try to keep going and do all we can to entertain those who are stuck at home and want some distraction.”
It’s not just players who are out due to COVID-19, as CT Mancini is watching from home during his self-isolation after testing positive.
“Roberto is in contact, he gives us indications before and during the match. Maybe not in the middle of the game with the phone ringing, but we have prepared beforehand,” continued assistant manager Evani.
“On the one hand I am pleased to be in this role, on the other I am not, because Roberto’s health is the most important thing, but we also need a figure like him on the touchline and we await him as soon as possible.”
Evani was a key member of Arrigo Sacchi’s Grande Milan, so was asked for some similarities and differences between Mancini and Sacchi.
“They share the desire to control the game, play good football, be more optimistic than pessimistic. The difference perhaps is that when the training session is over, Mancini lets his lads relax, whereas Sacchi kept going and knew just how much sacrifice it required to play that kind of football."