Roberto Mancini insists Italy reaching the UEFA EURO 2020 Final ‘is not enough’ and they want to go all the way by beating England.
It kicks off at Wembley Stadium on Sunday at 20.00 UK time.
This would be the first ever England victory in the Euros and only the second for Italy after 1968.
“Having reached the Final is already a good achievement, but it’s not enough,” Mancini told EURO2020.com.
“It will only be a success if we manage to win on Sunday. We’ve done well, but at the end of the day, it’s the winning that counts.”
England will have home advantage, especially as due to COVID restrictions, only 1,000 fans can travel from Italy and must remain in a bubble.
“After a year-and-a-half with no fans in the stadium at all, we’re happy just to have people present,” smiled Mancini.
“We must put pressure on England and try to take the lead. Clearly, they are a great team, strong both physically and technically, a side that fights hard. It will be a battle to the end.
“This remains a football match, so we must play with concentration and also joy. You can’t play football when tense or irritable, you need the right kind of pressure and try to enjoy yourself too. It’s the only way to win a Final.”
Italy took a different approach to the semi-final against Spain, giving up possession in order to neutralise their forwards and eventually won on penalties.
“If you want to go all the way in a tournament, whether it’s the Euros or a World Cup, you must be able to adapt to the different situations,” continued the CT.
“You can’t think of dominating every game and every opponent, because there will be moments when you suffer and things don’t go the way you wanted them to. The opposition can do some things you weren’t expecting them to, and you have to adapt.”
Considering the Azzurri had not even managed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup before Mancini took over, he has completely transformed their prospects.
They are also on a record-breaking run of 33 matches unbeaten, something the Nazionale had never achieved before.
“I am proud of what the lads have done so far, as it was not easy, but they believed from the first day. Reaching the Final is a good achievement, but it’s not enough.”