Roberto Mancini has snubbed Mario Balotelli from the Italy squad that will play the World Cup play-offs next week.
The 31-year-old had been included in the squad for a get-together at Coverciano at the end of January and hoped to make it into the team for the World Cup play-offs next week.
However, Roberto Mancini has snubbed the former Inter and Milan striker, calling Cagliari striker Joao Pedro instead. Ciro Immobile, Gianluca Scamacca and Andrea Belotti are the three centre forwards picked by the Azzurri CT. Joao Pedro was born in Brazil but has an Italian passport, the same is true of Lazio defender Luiz Felipe who will also join the Azzurri at Coverciano from Monday.
Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli has received a call-up despite being positive for COVID as Mancini hopes the Bianconeri starlet will recover by next week or, at least, for the potential Final. Leonardo Bonucci is also part of the squad but is currently dealing with a calf injury that forced him off the pitch on Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Villarreal, lost 3-0 by Juventus.
Tottenham’s Pierluigi Gollini has replaced injured Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret.
Italy will face North Macedonia in the World Cup play-offs semi-finals on March 24 at the Stadio Renzo Barbera in Palermo and could meet Turkey or Portugal in the Final on March 29.
Italy squad for World Cup play-offs
Goalkeepers: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint Germain), Pierluigi Gollini (Tottenham), Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa);
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri (Lyon), Alessandro Florenzi (Milan), Luiz Felipe (Lazio), Gianluca Mancini (Roma);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Stefano Sensi (Sampdoria), Sandro Tonali (Milan), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain);
Strikers: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Joao Pedro (Cagliari), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo), Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo) Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), Nicolò Zaniolo (Roma).
Roberto Mancini's 33-man #Azzurri squad for the 2022 World Cup play-offs 📋#WCQ #VivoAzzurro 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/0KL5FH1bcN
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) March 18, 2022
Good.
People should understand he’s getting up in age now and when has been the last time he performed consistently in a league, Nice in 2017-18, Cuadrado was good last season and this season he’s past it, and Balotelli has not been prolific since 4 years now!!!
We see Emerson again. Hahaha
How does Bryan Cristante play for the national team? It’s just incredible. I’d rather take balotelli and make him play in the midfield 🤣
Belotti eh? The guy is utterly useless and coming off injury. What a waste of a call up.
Thankfully Sirigu is in. He should be the starter.
So, no Fratessi? Then why Inter is so interested for him? 😛
We’re done, hopefully we can make the next world cup
And no Calabria? Mancini is a big joke. I won’t be surprised if Italy don’t qualify.
,
Who’s going to score our goals
Ciro or Bellotti aren’t unless Scamacca is going to be our main man but I don’t think so
Mancini will still prefer Ciro with Bellotti as his replacement,
What the heck is Florenzi doing
all I remember about him is slipping against Bulgaria who went on to score
Davide Calabria from Milan? Why is he not on the list?
You idiots moaned before the Euro and the call ups.. now doing the same crap. Makes me laugh. When we won Euros i bet you were all celebrating and not moaning. Reading these comments make me laugh
Struggling with this squad.
Still picking players who are faves and not those on form.
Florenzi but no Calabria?
No Darmian or De Sciglio.
Sensi, Politano, Zaniolo, Belotti and Pedro, don’t get.
If Mancini sticks with 4-3-3, concern here is we struggle to break teams down.
Is he going to be bold and start Scamacca?
Oh wow I think Belotti should have not been called, they guy does not score and have nothing to Italy, I would have Balotelli instead. I think Mancini is mistaking.
@Alessandro, three things:
– Most of the contributors on here were generally happy with the Euro 2020 squad. So you’re creating a false narrative.
– Most of us are basing our views off the sides performances during the latter stages of the Euros, where we were mostly impotent in attack, and more so, the teams performances in the qualifiers, where the likes of Insigne, Immobile, Belotti, Di Lorenzo and Cristante were awful and ineffective.
– Belotti, Cristante, Insigne, etc have either been injured, barely played or have been off form. How you can be happy with their inclusion is beyond me. It’s a real kick on the teeth for Caprari, and yes, Balotelli who have both played a lot of football and have done very well. So much for merit??
If mancini wins the next 2 games. He is a genius for his picks and coaching. If they lose then everybody is going to point the finger at him and he will quit his job.
Let us see what happens.
Not a Milan fan but they are top of the league and some of their more important players should be in the squad.
Not Florenzi though as he is bang average. Calabria I should be there but it seems that Mancini does not rate him.
Cristante is a big puzzle as managers do pick him and for the life of me I don’t know why.
The good news is that Italy have a good record against Portugal and Turkey.
This is very disappointing, it’s the same core group that brought us to the brink elimination form going to the World Cup. The team. Reds a shake up after multiple lousy performances. Sorry but Belotti couldn’t even score against Genoa. And Florenzi again? Balotelli would have been useful as a back up amd for an eventual penalty.
im so confused as to what Mancini is doing….recalls Balo which i thought was a backwards move of desperation. but strangely id rather have him than Belotti who can be completely useless in attack and has been in such awful form / injured the entire season ?? then theres the J. Pedro L. Felipe addition which is very bizarre to me. why not Calabria and Romagnoli ? this will be Ciro and Insignes last chance to be part of positive azzurri history in most important time.
if Italy fail again i think Serie A wil collapse.
It is amazing that Mancini sticks with the same players it reminds me of Lippi after he won the world cup he did the same thing with no success. I have a bad feeling about this. I mean they couldn’t even beat N Ireland when they had to.
Out joe Pedro and in Andrea pinamonti
Anyone can give an explanation the exclusion of Romagnoli?
Belotti, Cristante and Florenzi don’t deserve to be called. Manccini should have invited Balloteli and Calabria.
Ciro plays well for Lazio but very bad the Azzurri he’s been off since in the Euros. He should be bold to start Scamacca up front
Wake up Mancini! Give Balotelli his chance. Hopefully there is an injury and he will be called up. Scamacca is talented but doesn’t have the experience at the senior level. He might do well vs North Macedonia, but Portugal (if they move on) will be difficult. Immobile always disappoints. Belotti only if 100% fit.
Can’t believe Spina has not been able to recover.
What happened to a November return?
Emerson is not that bad. It’s not like Biraghi doesn’t leak in goals with Fiorentina.
Raga’, time to band together and support them.
I think Mancini is always sceptical about picking Milan players for azzurri, Calabria deserves to be called up, Italy Excell in most difficult scenerio, I believe Italy will go to the world cup,I love Italy..