Roberto Mancini admits that few expected Italy to compete with France for the top spot in the Nations League group; But now his students hope to give their fans a reason to be happy in tomorrow’s game and break the spell of their failures in San Siro.
Italy is currently in the second place of Group 1 of the League of Nations with 7 points. France is the leader with 10 points and Belgium is chasing these two teams with 6 points. In the last games of the group stage, Italy will face Belgium and France will face Türkiye, the bottom of the group.
“We are definitely looking to consolidate our previous performances and even better them,” Mancini said at the pre-match press conference. Considering that we have seven points and still two more games left, we have a chance to go up. This situation is a positive thing and considering how we started our work, I must say it was a bit unexpected.”
Mancini’s return to the bench of the national team was accompanied by a 2-0 home defeat against Belgium; A disappointing result that raised concerns about Italy’s relegation to League B. However, now Azzurri is on the verge of advancing to the quarter-final stage.
The head coach of Italy said about the previous match against France, which ended with a 1-1 draw in Paris: “We played a good game in France; Even in the moments when we had to defend, our performance was acceptable, because France is a big team. Of course, we still have room for improvement in some areas, and we hope that tomorrow we will be able to overcome these weaknesses and achieve victory.”
That 1-1 draw in Paris went a long way in boosting Italy’s confidence in the Nations League. France conceded points in that match for the only time in the competition. Mancini continued: “We had a difficult game in some moments. France put us under pressure and in the second half Gigio (Gianluigi Donnarumma) saved the team with his reactions. But tomorrow’s game will have different conditions. We are trying to win against one of the best teams in the world.
Zidane has won almost all his matches. He knows his players well and has won many honors as the head coach of Real Madrid. I think he will have a brilliant career in the field of national coaching as well.”
Playing at San Siro has both its own advantages and problems. One of these problems is Gianluigi Donnarumma’s condition in this stadium; The goalkeeper who, since leaving Milan as a free agent, has faced whistles and protests from fans every time at the San Siro. This happened even after his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Manchester City.
In support of his team’s goalkeeper, Mancini said: “Gigiu is a great goalkeeper and, besides, an exceptional young man. Apart from what happened a few years ago, I don’t think he deserves this kind of treatment. I hope the fans will come to the stadium to support their team. We also hope to give them a reason to be happy with our performance.”
In terms of results, San Siro has not been a safe stadium for the Italian national team; Azzurri have lost their last three games in this stadium. However, referring to his last experience in this stadium, Mancini said: “I have won my last game in this stadium; And against England, which was not an easy match at all.”
San Siro is also the home stadium of Inter Milan and the home of Niccolò Barella and Milan striker Alfadjo Cisse. Cisse has the chance to wear the shirt of the Italian senior national team for the first time.
“The fact that we are playing at the San Siro has no influence on my decisions,” Mancini said about the possibility of using these two players. I will make my decisions regardless of the stadium in which we play. “Both of these players have performed well in recent games and this is promising for everyone.”
Inter usually plays with a 2-5-3 system; For this reason, Alessandro Bastoni and Federico DiMarco should adapt themselves to Mancini’s 3-3-4 system. The head coach of Italy explained about this: “They have already played with a four-man defense system. “It doesn’t take many training sessions for them to feel comfortable in this system.”
Reports suggest that France may be without Kylian Mbappe due to a hamstring problem; The injury that caused him to be absent from his team’s practice today. Previously, France also did not have players such as Marcus Thuram, Pierre Kallou, Aurelien Schwameny, Manu Kone, William Saliba, Jules Conde, Maxence Lacroix, Ousmane Dembele, Magnus Achlouch and Esteban Lepaul due to injury or absence.
Mancini said with a humorous tone about the possible absence of the French stars: “If Michael Ulysse also catches a cold, I will not be upset at all!”
He continued with a laugh about Mbappe: “Besides, Mbappe has to play in the European Champions League soon, so I was in his place, I wouldn’t take risks and I would rest tomorrow!”
Mancini then said with his tone becoming more serious: “Joking aside, playing against such strong opponents is a pleasure and this is one of the beauties of football. We have to do our best, fight for victory and improve our performance compared to the previous games. “France has very good strikers and it is really difficult to choose between them.”
The Italian national team has also faced forced changes for this match. Gianluca Mancini is out of the squad due to injury and Niccolo Zaniolo has left the national team camp for personal reasons.
Azzurri head coach said about the conditions of his team’s young players: “Currently we have wingers who are very young and do not have much experience. But these competitions are exactly the opportunities through which they can gain experience. Hopefully over the next six months they will all improve and become better players. We must invite young players to the national team so that we can see them closely and get to know their abilities; Both for the current needs of the team and with a view to the future.
At the end, referring to the criticisms about not giving young players a chance, Mancini said: “Everyone wanted the presence of young players in the national team, and I also agreed that this decision is right and logical. People always criticize why young players are not given a chance to play. We also decided to invite them to the national team to get to know them closely. “Training with players who are more experienced and playing football at a higher level can have a huge impact on a young player.”
The match between the national teams of Italy and France will be held on Thursday at 23:15 at the San Siro Stadium.
