Roberto Mancini believes that a winning start in the Nations League could be the best medicine for Italy after another missed World Cup. The "azurri" host Belgium at the "Olimpico" on Tuesday, and the match will be Mancini's first since returning to the national team, replacing Gennaro Gattuso. Mancini already has one successful period in charge of Italy between 2018 and 2023, when he led the team to the European title in 2021. Then the "azurri" beat England on penalties at Wembley, and the specialist recorded a 37-match unbeaten run - a European record at the time.
In his first stint, Mancini achieved 38 wins in 58 matches before leaving in August 2023 after failing to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. Italy have now been drawn in a tough Group A1 of the Nations League alongside Belgium, France and Turkey. "Playing well from the start will not be easy because we only had two days to prepare. This is international football - we have to do the job quickly and get results. This is the only cure for what happened to us," said Mancini.
“We hope to reach the last four. The group is strong and it will not be easy, but we will try. I can't wait to hear the national anthem.“ Captain Gianluigi Donnarumma also called for a new beginning. “It was very difficult. It's hard for me to even explain it. It was a very long and difficult summer, but we have to start over. Tomorrow we have a big match and the fans are disappointed like us. It's up to us to ignite them again and make them fall in love with the Italian team,“ the goalkeeper told “Sky Sport Italia”.