Italy Under Fire; Roberto Mancini Hints at Changes

Roberto Mancini is trying to calm things down on the eve of the match between Turkey and Italy. Following the loss to Belgium, the head coach is urging the Italian camp not to get worked up and is asking for patience, especially for the young players: “We need to stay calm, without the agitation I’m seeing all around.” This is the message from Mancini, who, on the eve of the match, also analyzed the loss to Belgium: “Soccer is made up of moments. On Friday, the game could have turned around in the second half, but Belgium deserved to win.”

The head coach then defended the young players, focusing in particular on Romano’s performance: “You have to give young players time; I liked what I saw from Romano—he played a good game, aside from the mistake that anyone can make.”

There will also be room for some changes against Turkey. “We have the chance to make some changes—and rotate a few players—because at this level, you can’t play four games in such quick succession,” explained Mancini, who does not, however, underestimate the team coached by Vincenzo Montella: “Montella has a very strong team, full of talent: it will be difficult.”

There’s no cause for alarm, however, regarding the pressure following the loss to Belgium. “Pressure after the loss to Belgium? None at all—it’s just a soccer game. Tomorrow we’ll try to play well and win,” the head coach told RaiSport.

Mancini then recalled the journey that led Italy to win the European Championship: “There wasn’t any confidence even when we won the European Championship; we weren’t considered among the top six or seven.” And it is precisely that experience that inspires the call to keep working: “We just have to work and give the young players some time: unfortunately, at their clubs they don’t have much time to play matches at this level, so we have to give them time.”

The head coach then explained the decision to leave ten players at Coverciano, sparing them the trip to Turkey: “There wasn’t much left to figure out; we have 33 players, and this is a pretty grueling trip—we’ll be coming back late at night. We preferred to let the players who would likely have ended up in the stands stay and train at Coverciano.”