Roberto Mancini acknowledges many Italian strikers ‘can do well in the future’ but insists Ciro Immobile will be the starting striker during the World Cup play-offs in March.

The Azzurri have failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 through the group stage, meaning they’ll have to get their spot for the World Cup from the play-offs.

They will face North Macedonia in the semis and could pick Turkey or Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the Final.

“We have complicated our lives a bit, let’s see what happens in March. It won’t be easy, but I think we have a good chance,” Mancini told Sky Sport Italia while attending the Saudi Arabia F1 Grand Prix on Sunday.

Gianluca Scamacca is making a name for himself in Serie A, having scored five goals with Sassuolo so far this season.

However, Lazio‘s Ciro Immobile is the leading scorer in Italy’s top flight along Fiorentina‘s Dusan Vlahovic. They have scored 13 goals each and Mancini is not considering changing the pecking order.

“We have young players who can grow for the future,” the coach said.

“Now, we have Immobile, one of the most prolific players. We were unlucky because he had physical problems during the last few games.”

 

27 thought on “Italy: Mancini gives his verdict on Immobile and Scamacca”
  1. Mancini pulling a Ventura. The more things change in Italy, the more they stay the same.

  2. @ Vero Rossonero
    I have to be honest, I do agree with Mancio. Definitely take Scamacca should he continue to play well but if Ciro is 100% fit, then he has to play. If he doesn’t score, he does create space. As mentioned before, we need to win the semi and hopefully play our heart out in the final. Shame as it could have already been sorted but that is now the past so we need to look ahead and hopefully have some luck as well.

  3. If Ciro isn’t healthy in March Italy will not get to the World cup. He is the best striker in Italy and one of the 5 best in Europe, stats speak for themselves. Mancini has to find a way Italy work as a TEAM. That’s the problem. And finally change 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 with a center playmaker behind Ciro, maybe pellegrini, and get verrati out of the starting line-up. Veratti AND jorginho AND barella can’t create chances.

  4. the result is already decided.
    you honestly think FIFA will want to go to a world cup in the middle east without both Messi and Ronaldo.
    Football fans there jerk off to Ronaldo on a daily basis. The potential for a Messi vs. Ronaldo final is a FIFA moneymaker.

    Let’s be honest … all sports are about money first and foremost.

    I’m not gonna go out and blame it all on FIFA and UEFA…i mean there’s no doubt they have some control….but the idiot italians put themselves in a situation where they dont fully control their own destiny.

    They were even given a gift of a PK against the swiss (while technically it was a PK, it was soft and could have gone either way).

    Euro 2000, WC 2002, Euro 2004, WC 2010, WC 2014 all over again….

  5. Immobile has had his chance in the national shirt. He can’t transfer his club form when playing for Italy. He is awful holding the ball for Italy. He must not play!

  6. The 2R match is at his home stadium where he is comfortable.

    If we don’t win that one against North Macedonia, might as well cancel football in Italy. I respect North Macedonia and may God Bless them as a people, but if we don’t win that one…

    In Istanbul or Lisbon, he will likely start but give way for Scamacca around the hour mark.

    Ciruzzo and Raspadori got a brace yesterday, Scamacca got one last week. The odd man out is really Gallo Belotti and we all know it.

  7. Gel is the only honest person here! Immobile for the nazionale is no good! Just as he wasn’t in spain nor germany. It takes a very certain set-up for him he does not have with the nazionale. Manicini is ignorant if he doesnt go with the hot hand that isn’t ciro.

  8. Guys, I get the frustration with Immobile, but if he is still banging in the goals for Lazio come the playoffs he’s going to be the starting striker for Italy and you cannot blame Mancini for starting him in such big games. If Scamacca if on for form too he will no doubt be selected as part of the team, it’s the likes of Belotti who needs to look over their shoulders more than the Lazio man for me.

    I just hope that we have a fully fit and sharp Spinazzola back firing and have the likes of Verratti, Pellegrini and Zaniolo fit too. Those players give us added dynamism in our play and they’ll probably give more opportunities for Immobile to thrive on (albeit he’ll no doubt miss a hatful of chances before scoring one eventually).

  9. What a tragedy it would be if we fail for the second time in a row. That’s 8 years of our lives …

  10. I count 16 because 2010 and 2014 were a disgrace.

    Since winning the World Cup in 2006, Italy have only won 1 match in the World Cup (1st Round versus England in the jungle of Manaus).

    Not qualifying again will be a disaster.

  11. We may see PK’s somewhere.

    In the very little that I watched of the Amazon Series with Juve, ‘All or Nothing’, seems like Ronaldo really had a great relationship with Carlo Pinsoglio (3rd Choice GK). Pinsoglio seems to be a great person and pleasant to be around so I’m not surprised he and Ronaldo got along. Chiesa too seemed to get along with Ronaldo.

    Pinsoglio, Chiesa, and the rest of the Juve players are going to have to let Gigio know his PK tendency’s. Not that there isn’t a lot of video of Ronaldo taking PK’s.

    Gigio’s already Saved one of his PK’s in the past (Milan vs Juve 2020). I notice he usually goes low to the GK’s right, or he goes high to the GK’s left.

  12. Portugal:

    – They aren’t keen on having to play Turkey and then possible Italy. It’s not all 1-sided that Italy doesn’t want to play Portugal. Their comments are as similar to ours except focus more on Fernando Santos.

    – They aren’t Ronaldo-dependant as they have shown they can get Results without him, but he will NEVER be subbed off unless hurt. Now granted he’s quite possibly the healthiest, fittest, 37 Year Old in the history of mankind, but to play 2 high level matches at that age in the space of a few days, will be taxing. Again, they can’t take him off because he’s a PK Taker and if they were to lose with him on the bench, Santos will be crucified.

    – Italian football is big on tactics. If Gli Azzurri get the set-up right, they will nullify him.

    – Would love to see Chiellini give him the Bukaya Saka treatment 🙂

    – Italy is either downright horrible and full of drama, or brilliant and full of drama. So either we crash out against Macedonia. Or we send Ronaldo into retirement. Then go to the WC and for good measure send Messi into retirement and we watch their annoying fanboys go away once and for all.

    FORZA ITALIA, FORZA AZZURRI

  13. Bring back Balotelli, he is a man fit for the big stage. A prolific striker & has done so at any of the numerous teams that he has been at.
    Balotelli’s hunger for new success should be motivation for his inclusion.

  14. The one good thing that Italy have got is playing as a team giardini di marzo. I agree Belotti is the one who should not be in the squad, Scamacca and Raspadori should though.

  15. Peter, they played as a team in the Summer during Euro, but since then in the world cup qualifiers they seemed like a team with no ideas, passive, and uncreative. They didn’t create a single goal chance in the games against Switzerland in Rome and Northern Ireland (!) away. Just passing the ball from the center backs to full backs, then to jorginho and then back again for 180 mins. This isn’t team play.

  16. At this rate Jorgi will take the next penalty too.

    The kind of static approach and hubris which got them here!

  17. Keep in mind that NI didn’t have to win and didn’t want to win. They were just content on playing spoilers. Their WC qualifiers were over.

    But North Macedonia have to win just as much as we do. Unlike Northern Ireland they will play a lot more open.

    If they park the double decker bus for 90 Minutes. Then we’ll eliminate them on PK’s.

  18. Also, people who are bringing up how poor in Attack Italy looked in the last 2 Qualifiers versus Switzerland and NI, keep in mind that Immobile was not playing in those 2.

    So if anything, it just strengthens Mancio’s comments that he will be in there come March.

    Maybe Immobile was what we needed in these 2 matches.

  19. Mancini has been put on this earth just to test me. The only thing that is more frustrating than a coach that fails is a coach who doesn’t know how he succeeded.

    Even when Immobile gets on the score sheet, his net impact on the game is a negative one. He has already been given far more chances at the national team than he deserves.

    Mancini has two options: 1. Persist with this fraud. 2. Give a young imposing forward who is in incredible an opportunity.

    It can go only one of two ways: Scamacca will either be a success or not. Even if Scamacca has THE WORST GAME OF HIS LIFE, that still wouldn’t be as bad as selecting Immobile to play.

    I’d rather start the match with 10 men than see that clown upfront.

  20. Immobile starts and deserves too! He is the best forward in Italy just look at the goals and stats!

  21. Tell me a name that could pull one or two opponent’s defender out from the box better than Ciro. He’s there to carve open a space. That’s what he’s been doing and for that reason he should stay.

  22. Not only is Ciro the most prolific italian striker, he is also helping the team a lot.

    The 2 last group games were without him, another reason to keep him.

    @Massimo you just proved you are a Ciro hater, I mean how do you choose to play with 10men rather than having him says it all.

    Good luck Italy.

  23. immobile is a leading scorer in Serie-A but definitely not the striker to rescue italy in their quest to qualify! he is not made for italy at all he is unlucky & waste too many chances! I advise mancini to rethink on such acute situation.

  24. I agree with everything TOKEN BUBBLE said above.
    I also (mostly) agree with Brandon.

    The “never Immobile” crowd never seem to have a viable alternative in mind, which suggests they are ruled by emotion rather than logic.

  25. Observation:

    The names we are listing: Immobile, Scamacca, Raspadori, Kean, Lorenzo Lucca. Add Insigne as he is an Attacker.

    Notice something concerning?

    It’s either Immobile and Insigne on the wrong side of 30, OR you have the others that were part of the last U21 team (Scamacca, Raspadori, Kean). Lucca part of this current one. That is to say players that are aged 21, 22.

    Where are the CF’s that are in the prime of their careers, aged 26-28? Belotti should be it as he is 27 Years Old but he’s so useless it is not even worth mentioning him. To top it all off, becoming increasingly injured. I don’t even trust him anymore.

    Point being, goals are hard to come by from our Strikers even as far back as Euro 2020 because the Strikers that should be in the prime of their careers (again, aged 26-28) are not around. We would be banging them in with a prime Gila or Luca Toni.

    If the 3 younger players don’t get us qualified, it’s not because they aren’t good or have no future with the Azzurri. It’s the Strikers that should be in their prime that simply don’t exist.

    Mancio has to really think this through and get the right team out there.

    Clearly Italy have become stale and this 4-3-3 is played out. If Spina returns, it will be the kick in the backside we need. He will get Insigne going. Emerson clearly cannot. And I doubt he plays DiMarco. Not only will Spina be great defensively he will be leading the attack in many respects.

    As such, 4 in the back is useless if we don’t have an Offensive push from the Fullbacks (ie; if Spina doesn’t return). So why not go with a 3-5-2? A new BBC. Bastoni, Bonucci, Chiellini.

    Conte had the BBC (with Barzagli) for years with Juve. Then brought it over to Inter where Bastoni plays it. It shouldn’t be difficult for them. Would certainly catch the other team off-guard.

    In Attack, maybe we need to play to Ciruzzo’s strength’s. Make him the focal point of the Attack the way Lazio does. He as the CF with maybe Joao Pedro on his shoulder. Pedro can play as either a 2nd Striker or Trequartista.

    Jorginho’s playing like trash, so maybe he is dropped in place of Joao Pedro if they want to make him the tre-quartista.

    Drop Insigne (again, if Spina doesn’t return) and put Chiesa on the left the way Pirlo had him last year. Then on the Right side it’s Berardi to start with Politano as his back up. I like Berna but too many people here don’t so I went with Politano.

    There is no shortage of options. Despite Italians down to a paltry 35% in their own league, we have the players to get it done. Just not sure if now is the time to experiment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector