Just How Good Is Mancini’s Italy?
Italy was on a history-making run of 11 consecutive victories. That run ended with a 1–1 draw against Bosnia & Herzegovina in Florence on Friday in the opening game of their UEFA Nations League match. Before I share my thoughts, let me be clear that the last Italy match that I watched was of the pathetic and ill-fated 0–0 draw in Milan against Sweden in the 2018 World Cup qualifier play-off. The reason behind it is because there has been no “live” coverage of any international matches involving Italy since then.
Refreshing The Italy Team
Roberto Mancini has done a great job to refresh the team by getting the team to play proactively, breaking the tradition of Italy’s defensive, counter-attacking style. His courage in entrusting young players which is also un-Italian like has also rubbed off on club managers to give space for more young Italians to play. Then there are the results as well that speak for themselves. Italy qualified for the European Championship top of their group racking up big wins over Liechtenstein and Armenia. The results have given the team and their followers a boost in confidence and esteem after the crushing failure to reach the World Cup finals for the first time in 50 years.
While we cannot take any victory for granted, Mancini’s Italy has not won any of their matches against the big European and South American nations yet. We have lost to Argentina, France, Portugal and drawn against England and the Netherlands. The match against the Netherlands on Monday would be the next big test.
Players, Good Or Nay?
On the players in the team, are they any good? I feel the jury is still out on most of them. There are many players with a lot of promise and potential but they need to develop. That can only happen from playing in bigger teams as first-team players, regularly playing in European competition, challenging for trophies domestically and continentally. They would also need to play under managers that can develop them individually and have faith in them.
I feel Gianluigi Donnarumma is growing more mature and steadier as a player. There is still space for someone at right-back and that could be for Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s taking. Alessandro Florenzi could get back into the reckoning too if he gets back on track. Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini are two of the most experienced members remaining in the squad and are guaranteed starters. Behind them, Alessio Romagnoli and Alessandro Bastoni are ahead of the rest as the possible pairing for the future. The left-back position is also a position that is up for grabs.
In midfield, Italy has been blessed with an abundance of talent. Marco Verratti, Nicolo Barella, Stefano Sensi, Jorginho, Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo. These are just some players that are vying for the three starting spots in midfield. There are others too that in contention like Lorenzo Pellegrini and Gaetano Castrovilli to just name two.
Finally, in the attack, this is a department that lacks the star names and quality it used to have in the 90s and 00s. Ciro Immobile might have finished the season as the top scorer across all European leagues but doesn’t convince on the international and continental stage. Andrea Belotti has played more games than Immobile under Mancini but lacks the quality required to be a top-class centre forward. There is a big gap in the centre-forward position. On the wings, Federico Chiesa needs to improve further and he needs to choose his next club wisely. Federico Bernadeschi, like Chiesa, with a link to Fiorentina, has regressed since his move to Juventus. Lorenzo Insigne continues to blow hot and cold.
A player that had a standout domestic season and got a call-up to the recent squad, Francesco Caputo looks exciting. Let’s see how he does if he is allowed to play. Riccardo Orsolini is still young and raw but is an exciting talent. It would serve both these players well if they can get a move to a bigger club.
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