Italian national team CT Roberto Mancini left two of the top three goalscoring Italians in Serie A in 2023 out of the Azzurri squad that faced England and Malta in the opening games of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Three Italian players have scored five goals in the league so far this calendar year, but of those three, only Domenico Berardi was called up to the squad, with Bologna’s Riccardo Orsolini and Sampdoria’s Manolo Gabbiadini left watching on from home.
The 28-year-old Berardi started in the 2-1 loss against England at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and was later rested for the game against Malta in Ta’ Qali the following Sunday.
However, there wasn’t a spot in the squad for either Orsolini or Gabbiadini, who have scored more goals than any other player in the squad since January.
With his seven league goals throughout the season for Bologna, the 26-year-old Orsolini is one goal away from equalling his best ever seasonal tally to date, having scored eight in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Until this international break, Orsolini was the last player to score on his debut in a competitive game match for Italy, thanks to his goal against Armenia in 2019.
Gabbiadini had also bagged a brace during Sampdoria’s 3-1 win over Hellas Verona in their last game before the international break, although he had gone five games without a goal since his last brace against Monza in February.
Instead, Mancini handed a first call-up to 23-year-old Argentine-born Mateo Retegui of Tigre in the Primera Division, who rewarded his coach’s faith with two goals in as many outings over the international break.
Mancini had recently complained about a lack of opportunities being given to Italian talents in Serie A and is also reported to be interested in getting Italian passports for a number of young players in South America.
Maybe Orsolini can get a chance but not Gabbiadini, he’s been tried and is not Azzurri level.
If the only option in Serie A is Gabbiadini no wonder he’s going to Argentina