Roberto Mancini is looking forward to facing Spain again after the UEFA EURO 2020 triumph and it would be ‘amazing’ to win the Nations League too, but ‘it won’t be that easy.’
The Azzurri are unbeaten in a world record 36 matches and go into the Nations League semi-final against Spain on Wednesday.
The winners go on to face either France or Belgium in the Final on Sunday at San Siro.
These sides already met in the EURO 2020 semi-final at Wembley Stadium, Italy winning in a penalty shoot-out.
“Spain were the team we struggled against most during EURO 2020. They are a good team with good players,” Mancini confessed to the UEFA website.
“It will be a good match. [Passing the ball on the ground is] something they are the best at. We didn’t have the time to master it at their level. It will be different this time.”
Due to COVID restrictions, the stadiums in Italy are still only at 50 per cent capacity, so it won’t be a full house at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
“It would be amazing to win [the Nations League straight] after the European Championship and it would be amazing to qualify for the World Cup early, but it won’t be that easy.”
Italy won their second European Championship, after 1968, and the first major trophy since the 2006 World Cup, returning to a heroes’ welcome.
“It was great, because we made many people happy, both young and old. So it was something for everybody. Something that made a lot of people happy, maybe also because of these times we have been living through. The fans have been enthusiastic, and we play to entertain people. It was a wonderful time,” continued Mancini.
“The best things about the EURO? Probably the relationship we created within the team. It was a group that worked together for 50 days and that’s not easy. They were hard, tiring [days], but there weren’t any issues. It was the chemistry and the love [between them all; that] isn’t something easy to obtain.”
Mancio was credited with bringing a more attack-minded approach to the Nazionale, especially after the failure of Giampiero Ventura’s reign and missing out on 2018 World Cup qualification.
“Every game is full of difficulties. When we play against weaker teams, it’s hard to play because they simply focus on defending.
“There isn’t just one way to win. It’s not just playing well. Of course, if we can win by playing well and being entertaining, that’s even better. There are plenty of ways to win.
“[The perception of the Italy team] has changed, but we can’t forget that Italy is a country that has won four World Cups. [We] are the European champions and have a significant history.”