Italy coach Roberto Mancini admitted that he misses the late Gianluca Vialli the most compared to his first stay at the helm of the "azurri". He did so after the 3-1 victory over Turkey at home, and his answer caused applause from the journalists in the hall.
The specialist also reported that the integration of young players into the squad is currently underway.
"Turkey is not a weak team at all, despite its results. We made nine changes to the squad and naturally lost some of the dynamics in the game, but we had no other choice after playing four matches in just 11 days. We are pleased with the growth of the team as a whole. The fact that we have a chance to fight for a place in the quarter-finals of the Nations League is a great achievement," said Mancini.
“Ricardo Calafiori is already a real leader - both technically and physically, as well as with his footballing intelligence. Antonio Vergara needs to play in games like this to continue raising the bar, and I am convinced that he will develop even more. Isa Doumbia plays regularly in the Champions League, which gives him an advantage, but I was happy with both of them. Young talents like Alessandro Romano and Vergara need to gain experience at this level.“
“I think that with the qualities he has, Scamacca can give much more. I replaced him and Matteo Ruggeri because they already had yellow cards and the referee seemed ready to show a second card at the first opportunity“, explained the coach.
The opponent's coach Vincenzo Montella is under serious pressure after four consecutive defeats in the Nations League, even though it was he who led the Turkish team to promotion to the top division.
“Montella did an excellent job, qualifying Turkey for the World Cup and the "A" League of the Nations League. I have also worked in Turkey, but that was at club level with Galatasaray, where the atmosphere is completely different. The team was missing key players, which always shows. The match tonight was equal and both teams showed good football“, concluded Roberto Mancini.