Italy coach Roberto Mancini confirms he will remain in charge of the Azzurri despite their failed attempt to qualify for the World Cup: ‘We’ll see what must be improved…’
The CT spoke to the media ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Turkey. Gazzetta dello Sport and Il Corriere dello Sport reported this morning that the coach had decided to remain in charge of the national team and Mancini confirmed it during today’s press conference.
“We’ve spoken these days. I think we have the same ideas on everything. We’ll talk again in the next few days. Now, let’s focus on the game, then we’ll see what we must improve in the future. It’s all here,” he said.
“We need to start again and think about different situations. We have difficult games ahead. We’ll see.
“Despite the huge disappointment, I am happy to see that the job we’ve done in the last four years has been appreciated. The victory at the Euros was not the only good thing we did. The lads deserve the praise for what we’ve done. I can say that these guys are special. The group is exceptional,” he continued.
“We should have won the qualification group with at least two points more than Switzerland. We should have won the game in Basel 3-0. Since September, we haven’t been lucky, and I can’t blame my players because we’ve always played good football. We were not clinical. We made mistakes, we wasted many chances.
“I think you all remember the game in Basel. We should have scored two goals, at least. We’ll look at our errors. Now it’s useless to talk. We don’t want to find excuses.”
Mancini’s choice somehow goes against what usually happens in football, when, after heavy defeats, the first one to pay a high price is the coach. However, FIGC didn’t sack Mancini and the coach has decided to remain in charge.
“These things usually don’t happen in football,” the coach conceded.
“We’ve always tried to give our best in these four years by winning and playing a different brand of football with an offensive mentality. We made it, but in football, things can change overnight.”
So, where do Italy need to improve on and off the pitch?
“Now it’s useless to speak about this,” said Mancini.
“We’ll have a chance to add younger players who, we hope, will have more chances with their clubs. This is crucial. There are many young players who can have the ambition to play with Italy and with a bright future ahead.
“We can look at the potential of young players. The current team, with some addition, could have won the World Cup. There are many things we need to see, surely, we’ll change something from the next games. We must look at the Euros in two years and prepare the team to qualify. This is our job.
“I wanted to win a European championship and a World Cup. I’ll have to wait for the World Cup, but I like this job and I want to organize something important. Aside from this disappointment, the rest goes on…”
Italy will face Turkey tomorrow in a third-place play-off. Their following matches will be in June. First against Argentina in a match between the European and South American champions and then against Germany, Hungary and England in the Nations League.
Brilliant, I hope he stays. We will become stronger from this. Best coach we have had and lets not forget that we won the Euros. We now have the finalissima to play against Argentina and the Nations League and then defend the Euros Crown so we will develop and I feel positive that we will keep on improving. Farai bene Mancio nel rimanere. Abbiamo bisogno di te.
As long as he stops playing Immobile and Insigne I will be happy. Scamacca and I want to see Caprari get capped for Italy
Team need to rely on Italian youth and find decent striker….perhaps Scamacca and Raspadori deserve a shot and players such as Zaniolo, Tonali, Rovella,Pirola and Fagioli among others can come in and get established before the next big tournamnet.
He’s right. We battered teams and the unbeaten record speaks for itself. That’s no fluke. Mancini was let down by the strikers, an unfortunate Jorginho and injuries to top players. It’s a cluster of bad luck but it gives the chance for new talents to emerge. It would be worrisome if we had to rely on the usual strike force but we don’t.
He needs to get rid of jorghino insigne and especially immobile also calabria has to be first choice right back
1. Focus on a Scamacca type striker who can embrace the weight of the jersey.
2. Stop playing wingers like Insigne and Berardi who’s only trick is to try and come back inside.
The rest will take care of itself.
This team was never the same since Spinazzola went down. Mancini also always goes 433, other teams know exactly what to expect. They always struggle when the other team parks the bus with 10 men in the box. He always plays the same players even when they are ineffective. So lets hope he can change it up or else we are in for a long dark future.
It’s good that he wants to stay, he did a lot of good and I hope he can build on that. It’s good that he wants to try out new players, I think after something this traumatic it’s absolutely necessary. But something has to change in Italian football political. All these on the field changes can only go so much. The people who run Italian football must make growing home talent a priority like they do in Spain and France. That’s the only way we can consistently be strong. Problem I doubt the people who run Italian really care about doing that.
I think it’s a real shame they didn’t qualify, because despite their problems, they would have been one of the favourites to win the WC.
And lets face it, there are no great international teams out there at the moment, so that trophy is there for the taking for any side doing the right thing.
Time to see what Scamacca and Raspadori can do alongside Chiesa for the EC qualifiers. That Nations League thing isn’t important, so try the youngsters out in that and get them ready for the serious football.
Always welcome the man. This is a costly lesson for him and us but I already have the feeling that we won’t make it through playoffs. We will be back to our natural habitat. I just hope Zaniolo/other Italian attacking talents won’t join Juve and Chiesa will move somewhere else, probably abroad, under a manager who know how to hone young talents properly because allegri will stall their potential. Let our young defenders learn from Bonucci/Chiellini but please do not play them anymore. If it’s possible, implement age limit to the first team. All dead woods from this episode must go. All of them.
Forza Italia per sempre.
Good news. The list of possible replacement – cannavaro, gattuso & pioli are giving me nightmares.. I think if mancio adopts the same policy when first started – no favorites but based on talent & form.. Italy can go on another good run..
I hope he has learn that being loyal to players is not good.
His mind set must be if u perform your in if u don’t your out
and not picking favorites in his new squad like he did with Immobile, Insigna, Barrella and JJorginho
That’s my only concern with Mancini that hes not that type of coach
blame the top six clubs vin serie A not giving young players a chance and instead buy crab and as been foreigners
I have mixed feelings about this. Mancini’s problem is he doesn’t have many solutions and answers if things go wrong. He did not do well against Spain who dominated he midfield with their unique style despite him winning the game against Spain in the Euros with individual magic of Chiesa and then the penalties followed with a loss in the European national league game, Mancini also struggled against defensive teams and couldn’t find solutions. So I am little worry but I hope he can do it and change things around. However, I hear him still praising all the group won the Euros, the question is, are you still going to call up Immobile? Belotti? Jorginho? Insigne??? I hope not!!!
Don’t understand why coaches can’t or won’t blame their players,
he should have said that his loyalty to Immobile, Insigna, Jorginho, Barella was a mistake
and was expecting a lot more from them since the resumptn of the WC qualifiers in September seeing they where the ones who under achieved badly and where also our most experienced bunch,
What I can’t get over is that I’m sure we would have qualified if Scamacca, Raspedori, Lucatelli, Tonalli had played more of a major role in the qualifiers
They beat Spain Robert J. That all threat counts. Every team struggles here an there. But this fall was a disaster. They needed just one more bloody win.
I like the idea of him continuing his project.
Unfortunately I’m also sad because I do believe this squad could of be a potential winner at the work cup
His ability to transform this national team was tremendous . This team takes the game to any opposition, no matter the opposition quality
Immobile and belotti have failed since Ventura . It’s time they resign . Remembered once acerbi saying the national has no place for balotelli as they have immobile. Let’s hope acerbi is never a coach.
As Mancini is the person I believe to continue this progress let’s hope he learns from his mistakes. I’m saddened we won’t see the boys in blue come Qatar but let’s win the nations league and the next Euro cup
Forza Italia 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹
Mancini go get em
@ Geo
Yeah because pioli has been rubbish with Milan… 🤦🏼♂️
Good news – he’s still the right person to lead the azzurri.
Can we please train and learn how to take a corner?
*Limit Seria A foreign players, 60% must be home grown talent
*Focus on youth development
*Veto clubs on making decisions for the national team, eg practice time
Jon I totally agree!
Still the best option. But many of the senior players need to go- Insigne, Immobile, and Jorginho. If Barzagli was exiled after a 3-0 loss to the Netherlands in 2008, why shouldn’t these guys be exiled for this?