Roberto Mancini has not called up Nicolò Zaniolo and Gianluca Scamacca for Italy’s World Cup play-offs against North Macedonia, but there are two different reasons behind the player’s snub.
Mancini had to cut ten players from his 33-man squad list, given that only 12 players will be allowed to go on the bench tonight.
Leonardo Bonucci’s omission was expected as the centre-back is recovering from a calf injury. The same is true of Manuel Locatelli, who tested positive for COVID last week and recovered this morning. The Juventus midfielder is on his way to Coverciano and, similarly to Bonucci, he will likely be available for the Final, if Italy qualify.
Zaniolo, Scamacca and Belotti out of Italy’s squad list for North Macedonia clash
Mancini’s decision to omit Zaniolo and Scamacca from the team is causing debate on social media. Scamacca has been sent to the stands as he’s not 100% fit. He didn’t train with the team this morning after feeling pain in his thigh. It’s the same reason that forced him out of Sassuolo‘s XI in the match against Spezia last weekend.
Zaniolo, on the other hand, was snubbed because of a technical choice and the same is true of Andrea Belotti who, along with Bonucci and Locatelli, is the only Euro 2020 winner excluded from the squad list.
World Cup play-offs: Italy vs. North Macedonia – probable line-ups
Federico Bernardeschi and Gaetano Castrovilli, didn’t get a call up at all, while Giorgio Chiellini is available, but expected to rest tonight after recovering from a calf problem. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, Rafael Toloi, Federico Chiesa and Leonardo Spinazzola won the Euros but are currently injured so they are not available tonight.
Mancini’s choices suggest that the CT relies on the group that won the Euros, with 16 players out of 23 who were part of the team last summer. Alessio Cragno, Mattia De Sciglio, Gianluca Mancini, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Sandro Tonali, Joao Pedro and Matteo Politano are the only additions compared to the 23-man squad at Euro 2020.
– Scamacca’s omission has been explained (thigh injury).
– Politano has to be ahead of Zaniolo in the pecking order on the Right side.
Not sure, Mancini sees Zaniolo more as an attacking midfielder or centre midfielder. He said in a recent interview that he is ‘definitely not a winger.’
Zaniolo did not play in the derby and the team played much better without him, now he has been sent up to the stands for the national team. He needs to look at himself and realize that he needs to make changes in his game. He has difficulty with basic elements in the game. But the impression he gives is arrogance and stupidity.
I hadn’t heard that interview. I see, I see.
IMO, these aren’t the matches for Zaniolo. As much as the next Italy fan, I want to do what Spain does and have the “largo ai giovani” motto, but this is a match for a player aged 25-29. Zaniolo is still immature. We cannot risk him getting a card and then grabbing his junk towards fans like he did in the first derby earlier this season.
He lacks some professionalism. There is no doubt he will improve in this respect, but this is not the match for him.
I’ve written this about him since last November and stand firm.
Football Italia just deleted my last post. Football Italia need new people working. All stories are negative while other teams are building excitement. GET NEW PEOPLE WHO GET IT!!!
I agree Milan man, this has turned into a negative news site, almost as if a text book approach that negativity sells in news has been used, that works for mainstream media but this is a sports site.
I don’t even want to respond anymore because my comments don’t get put on. Time wasting.
I would u call up people who are not fit or completely injured, who are not even 50% fit, Italy has a way of complicating things for itself