France vs. Italy: Roberto Mancini Admits to Two Major Concerns

With the Nations League match against France just around the corner (kickoff Friday at 8:45 p.m. in Paris), Roberto Mancini has not yet finalized his starting lineup. The Italian national team coach has hinted that, compared to the impressive victory over Turkey in Bursa, changes will be limited, but some decisions remain up in the air.

The first question mark concerns the attack. Mancini, going into detail, explained that the coaching staff is closely monitoring the condition of Moise Kean, who is dealing with some physical issues that affected his performance in the match against Belgium. For this reason, Pio Esposito remains a candidate as well, with the final decision to be made only after the latest evaluations.

“There will be some changes, though probably fewer than in the last game,” said Mancini. “We’re still evaluating our options up front: Kean has had some physical issues, which is why he wasn’t used in Bursa. Tomorrow we’ll have a better understanding of his condition and that of the other players who featured in the last match.”

The other question mark concerns the playmaker role in front of the defense. Here too, Mancini didn’t want to commit to anything, though he left the door open for Sandro Tonali. “We’re still thinking about the playmaker role,” he admitted. “There’s no shortage of options, and Tonali is certainly one of them.” These are by no means minor concerns, given the importance of the match against Les Bleus. The next few hours will be decisive in determining which lineup Mancini will choose to try to give the French a run for their money.