Italy CT Roberto Mancini stressed Jorginho was ‘right’ to take the penalty and admitted the Azzurri ‘suffered and struggled’ against Switzerland on Friday.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw, as Silvan Widmer opened the scoring for the guests, before Giovanni Di Lorenzo equalised before half-time.
But after the break, Italy were closest to scoring when Jorginho stepped up to take a penalty in stoppages.
Italy 1-1 Switzerland | Di Lorenzo saves a point, when Jorginho fails from the spot
But the Brazilian-born midfielder smashed it over the bar and the two teams ended up sharing the spoils in Rome.
“We missed a penalty in the first leg and one in the return, these things happen,” Mancini said in the post-match interview with RAI Sport.
“Jorginho felt like kicking it and it’s right that he did. He is one of the penalty takers in the team.”
Mancini admitted Switzerland made life difficult for the Azzurri on Friday but felt the players reacted well.
“In the first half we suffered and struggled,” he said. “Then we came out well but missed the winning goal.”
Next up for the Azzurri is the crucial clash with Northern Ireland and Mancini’s men are currently ahead of the Swiss on goal difference.
“Against Northern Ireland we start with an advantage, and that’s not a small one,” Mancini added. “If we play well and score the goals we didn’t score today…
“It was a difficult game and we were conditioned by the goal conceded, it’s a shame that we didn’t score in the second half.”
Another Ventura is on pipeline
Utterly ridiculous. Shameful a Bonucci or CHiesa does not step forward to take a PK! As for Jorginho, Arrogant Arrogant Arrogant, never learns. How many is that he missed, 3 out of his last 4?
Switzerland having secured atleast 2nd place and playing away from home .. played with no pressure .. nothing to lose unlike Italy! Also Italy leaving aside the player omissions made it difficult for themselves! Should Donna have saved the goal .. is not playing regularly for Club affecting him?? Is Allegri ruining Loca and Chiesa?? Italy once renouned for their Defence, easily concedes goals these days …
As far as the missed Penalty … I will blame Mancini for this. However good a penalty taker is nerves can take over. After his miss last match against the Switz, Mancini shud have selected Bonucci and Berardi in the crucial Qualifiers as the penalty takers. Berardi scored against Belgium in the NL and recently hasn’t missed a penalty. Also I think Jorghino himself should have declined.
He talks a lot these days and comes across as extremely overconfident!!
Mancini should go for in inform players and not depend on certain players to bail the team. Why not pick Destro or Politano. Could have started Tonali in place of Barella who was carrying a knock. I would have even brought in Lucca to cause problems in the opponents box with his height and physicality being served with pin point crosses!!
TOO SCARED FOR THE NEXT MATCH 😨 ALSO A REQUEST TO FI .. PLEASE DONT PUBLISH NEWS RELATED TO VENTURA ATLEAST TILL THE QUALIFIERS ARE OVER!!
Mancini has been putting his faith way too much in his core croup of players and in his system. He has NOT adapted at all since I would say the first Spain semifinal game of the Euros
Italy has been predictable since then and other teams and have been adapting.
He needs to do so as well. Italy needs to be able to play different formations when needed with different players when needed.
And by the way Jorginho cannot take the penalties anymore. 3 times is a enough and you have to start thinking about getting the W.
I thought Berardi would have been a better choice
Iam truly speechless!!Mancini is blindly emulating LippI and is continuing with the same set when it is clear that the Azzurri lack a proper centre forward and fullbacks
Jorginho is 100% to blame for the position we find ourselves in. Ridiculous that a player of his calibre keeps missing these penalties.
Spinazzola is the missing link. Since his injury the attack has been stale.
Forza Switzerland they are a tough nut to crack🇨🇭💪
JM you’re spot on – Spinazzola is a massive miss for this team – they haven’t played with their usual swagger since the Belgium game when he got injured. I also agree with the comments above that Mancini needs to adapt to different game situations and teams – for example, you can only stifle Spain’s midfield when you play 3-5-2 – Italy has always either beaten or drawn with Spain with this formation – never lost, but he insists on a 4-3-3. It would allow Bastoni to play along Chiellini and Bonucci to make a solid backline and allow Spinazzola (when fit) and Chiesa to play as wing backs to devastating effect. Chiesa looks too isolated and out of the game at present.
Team looks lifeless. What happens to Mancini when they fail to qualify? Ventura Jr.
I predicted this before the game with respect the (bad) decision to play an unfit Belotti. I thought better to go with Berardi and he did more in five minutes than Belotti did in 65.
They are done for . No way they go to n Ireland and win big . The Swiss will steam roll Bulgaria 4-0 and off or the playoffs we go to face teams like Croatia Sweden and Poland maybe .
Agree 💯 with @ StefaNo and @Donato
Stop with the criticisms of Mancini. This man won us the Euros a few months ago and people could not praise him enough. Switzerland are a very good team like Denmark and are no pushovers go ask Spain. Football is not like the old days where lesser known footballing nations can be swept aside. We have lacked a proper number 9 for years and how we need a Vieri but we are making it to Qatar. However Belotti and Immobile need to be asked to step aside. Immobile has never been a top player just throw in Raspadori, Kean or Scamacca.
omg… 90th minute pk gift….what more can you ask for ?
never seen a footballer of year be such a choker…yet people think Jorginho deserves balon d’or too ? gthoh !
well, definitely cant blame Ciro this time lol.
Ciro
Would have scored the penalty
Wanted to add few more points –
1) I’m not angry against Jorghino for missing the penalty but angry because of him taking it. He should have declined knowing there are players in better form to take it. He wanted to rectify his last miss .. but why make it about himself?? Swiss are a strong side and opportunities are at a premium with qualification at stake. Recently he has been talking a lot and is coming across as too full of himself .. whether on the Ballon d’or matter or recently talking on how he was relieved during Euro Final seeing that it was Saka who was going to take the crucial next kick after his miss and he was sure of him missing it … why say such a thing?!
2) Why’s Ventura bringing himself to focus during Italy’s Qualifiers?? Last round of qualifiers he made a comment on the qualification and yesterday few hours before the crucial qualifier he announced his retirement!!
if Italy qualify and avoid playoffs we need to bench certain players that are causing issues. We all saw time and again how each time bedardi comes on he changes the game and accelerates it actually. He should have started or come on at half time not at the end, and he should have taken the penalty or bonucci. Also there was a player years ago that played around the balotelli era and he like balo was very accurate and lethal and i think his name was pelle, had a greasy like black hair all perfectly combed like morata and he was a tall guy. One day he was subbed off and he made some gesture at the coach and got banished to Asia never to be seen again. I think he’s on an indonesian island with signori. This is what we do to our players.
1) I have never ever like Jorgi’s penalties, even when he was scoring them. If i was he incharge, i would only give him a PK when the team is 3-0 up, and in the 85th minute
2) Conceding early goals has become endemic. They simply cannot settle in the game
3) Donnarumma is conceding easy goals these days
4) Mancini is too loyal to the Euro heroes
Jorghi did the right thing in wanting to accept responsibility + wanting redemption, not revenge though, it’s the Swiss who lost 3-0 at the Euro’s, so it’s them who probably wanted revenge more! But if he felt a bit unsure of himself, there’s nothing wrong in stepping aside, as you can make thing’s worse, these are all if’s + but’s though, what if he had’ve, then Berardi or Bonucci went on to miss anyway?
It’s the team as a whole which hasn’t been performing at the same level. They should’ve known that the Swiss tend to start games strongly. They’re missing Chiello too, they look nervous back there, but both him + Leo are getting on now, so the defence may need looking at. They dominated Freuler
+ Xhaka in midfield during the 3-0, then reverted to a 3-5-2 to finish them off. So Mancio knows he can play in different formations. They might’ve been better playing a false 9 to drop deep last night, to keep that numerical advantage in midfield now the Swiss play 3 there too + to let Locatelli + Barella/Pessina or who ever was fit, to break through. But a lot of this is psychological, they just have to get over the line now, then they’ve got enough quality comin’ through to significantly improve later on.