National team, Albania-Italy: Mancini’s words on the eve

From our correspondent Andrea Elefante

November 15th
– tirana (albania)

These were not the matches with which Roberto Mancini hoped to celebrate the 56 benches as coach, like Marcello Lippi and Cesare Prandelli. Perhaps the worm will stop gnawing towards the end of December, but rather than repeating the same thing on the FIGC website and then in the conference for the hundredth time, the coach cannot do: “It was an absurd match against North Macedonia, one that it happens every 100 years: unfortunately it happened to us. The World Cup will be a difficult month and it has yet to start, unfortunately. I’ve been experiencing it quite badly since March because we deserved to go, but at this point we can’t do anything except make sure it doesn’t happen again.” And in any case that goal of “blue longevity” is there, nobody takes it away from him: “I’m pleased to catch up with Lippi and Prandelli, we hope to extend the streak. Even if it seems to me quite difficult to catch up with Bearzot and Pozzo”.

friendly

—

The friendlies with Albania and Austria are the right occasion, says Mancio, to deepen his knowledge and that of the players he has chosen and will gradually choose: “In the bitterness we can feel, these are matches to be respected and interpreted well. They can help me make useful assessments from May onwards. And Albania isn’t so weak: they have players who, if they weren’t good, couldn’t stay in the Italian league.” So the right occasion, going more specifically, to “try some new guys too”. Maybe, between tomorrow and Sunday in Vienna, even the very young Pafundi from Udinese, “whom we follow from the national youth teams and we think could become a great player in the future: I called him to evaluate him, get to know him well. And I remember that when Zaniolo came from us who still hadn’t played for Roma, three months later he returned transformed: he was a completely different player”. But Mancini is not only alluding to new prospects to be tested: probably also to a “new” system, such as the 3-4-3 in the pipeline for tomorrow evening. “The best system always depends on the players you have, there isn’t one more suitable than the others. In the last few games I’ve already changed, to see if we can take advantage of it: after all, we have players who can play them all.”

church

—

And then important players return: “It’s a pleasure to have Chiesa back, it’s important for us: he’ll still need some time to find his condition and tomorrow he won’t start from the beginning because he must be used with caution. Possibly Sunday, however not for 90″. Zaniolo is also an important resource, I’m sure he will improve from a technical and tactical point of view and will be able to give us a lot. I believe that the role of midfielder is the one that respects the qualities he has the most, but he is also playing as a winger or from right-footed midpoint. As for Kean, our doors are open to everyone: if he returns to score goals (the brace against Lazio came after a call-up already issued, ed.) and plays well, we’ll call him back”. The important thing is that he too, like everyone else, shows that he cares about the national team shirt without half measures: “The boys know that an enormous sense of belonging is needed: when I get to having to call up for the European or World Cup, I’ll have to being able to choose from many players”.

Bonucci

—

But from this point of view, assures the captain Leo Bonucci, the signals are encouraging: “The young people who are here are already demonstrating that they understand the importance of this shirt. It was primarily enthusiasm that brought us to win the European Championship, the team spirit and sacrifice, the sense of belonging. In these days I feel the desire to be there, even if honestly I struggle to remember that in my 12 years with the national team there has been a teammate who has made it clear that he does not want to to come”. The path is right, even if it wasn’t easy to take it: “After the European Championship we lost some details along the way, we fell but slowly we are getting back up and now we are finding ourselves again, as demonstrated by the latest results of the Nations League: these two friendlies must be the continuation of what was done in that tournament, it’s up to us to continue on this path. Against Albania and Austria, the approach and attitude will count which, when there are no goals, can fail. And instead we must go further , be strong in character, as we have seen in these two days of training. And watch out for this Albania: they have more talent and more experience than the team we faced in 2017 for the World Cup qualifiers”.