Italy Flops; Roberto Mancini Flips the Table: All the Big Names Are at Risk

Radical changes are on the horizon for Roberto Mancini’s Italy following their disappointing debut against Belgium at the Olimpico. The Azzurri were soundly defeated 2-0 by the Red Devils, who outclassed them tactically and technically on the field.

The Jesi-born head coach is considering changes ahead of the upcoming match against Turkey, scheduled for Monday night: The national team cannot afford to lose to Vincenzo Montella’s squad: their Nations League group campaign is already at risk of being compromised, and there’s also the specter of relegation to League B.

According to reports in *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, among the most notable changes are those involving Barella and Tonali: one of the two—if not both—could be benched along with Romano himself, who was dropped after the first match. Mandragora and Frattesi will almost certainly start, having shown they’re in good form during the first few matchdays of the Serie A season.

In defense, Di Lorenzo could lose his spot to Kayode, while Bastoni will return to the center, replacing Coppola. Up front, keep an eye on Raspadori and Scamacca, who are in the running to start from the 1′: Kean risks losing his spot.

“Where can we build from? We can build on the 25 minutes of the second half when we were aggressive and won every loose ball we contested. We didn’t concede a single thing to Belgium for 25 minutes. That was a very positive thing for me, and we need to try to lose the ball less; we need to maintain possession calmly and not force plays when there’s no space,” said Mancini after the match.