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Azzurri optimism ebbs away
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The optimism which followed Roberto Mancini’s appointment as Italy coach in May quickly drained away following its 0-1 loss to Portugal on Monday as thoughts turned to Nations League relegation.
Mancini made nine changes to his starting line-up against the European champion as he continued his search for the right players to help him rebuild Italy following its failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup.
But the four-time world champion went down with barely a whimper to a Portugal side which allowed itself the luxury of resting Cristiano Ronaldo and Italy’s performance suggested Mancini has a long road ahead.
“Italy always going downwards,” Gazzetta dello Sport said, summing up the general sentiment which followed the team’s fourth competitive match without a win.
The only players to leave Lisbon with any praise were goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who at 19 appears to be the natural heir to Gianluigi Buffon, his AC Milan teammate Alessio Romanogli in defense and forward Simone Zaza.
Italy’s midfield was disjointed and even Federico Chiesa, who lit up its 1-1 draw with Poland on Friday after coming on as a substitute, failed to provide the same spark.
Mancini fielded Bryan Cristante and Jorginho in central midfield with Chiesa and Giacomo Bonaventura on the flanks in a formation which occasionally resembled the much-maligned 4-2-4 used by his hapless predecessor Gian Piero Ventura.
Zaza was partnered by Ciro Immobile in a two-man strikeforce but, not for the first time, Immobile, a prolific scorer for Lazio, was a letdown playing for his country.
With the Azzurri short of world-class players, Mancini insisted the only way forward was to test less experienced players even when they lack playing time at club level. “It is true that we have many young players and we are in an experimental phase, however we must continue on this path and pick ourselves up as soon as possible.”
If Italy finishes bottom of the three-team group, it will be relegated to League B of UEFA’s new competition — a price Mancini said it would have to risk paying as he continued to experiment.
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