By Anna Italia
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Italian Soccer Serie A
Italy Head Coach Roberto Mancini press conference on the eve of the FIFA World Cup Qualifier game against Lithuania on Wednesday 8 September 2021 at the Mapei Stadium. The immediate mission is for Italy to win the game after having 2 consecutive draws with Bulgaria and Switzerland. Italy with 36 unbeaten games, but the record need a victory to have that reassurance towards the 2022 World Cup Qualification.
👉 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Result SWITZERLAND 0 – 0 ITALY, Sunday 5 September 2021
Mancini saying, “Tomorrow’s game won’t be easy. They’re a physical side and will defend really deep. It’ll be up to us to unlock their defence and manage the game as best we can. Three years ago, everyone – my friends included – thought we didn’t have it in us. We came together and won the Euros. We’re calm; we’re just disappointed to have dropped four points, which we didn’t deserve to drop. However, the draw helped us during the Euros and hasn’t favoured us now.”
The best bits from today’s press conference with @robymancio and Lorenzo #Insigne 🎙️🇮🇹#ITALIT #WCQ #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/Zwv6rSVt8K
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) September 7, 2021
On paper, Italy favorite to win against Lithuania. Yet, we must never underestimate the opposition. Lithuania ranking 134th in the world.
Italy produced plenty of chances against both Bulgaria and Switzerland, but only have one goal to show for their efforts in those two matches. “Simply put, we need to win. We have three games left and we’ll go through if we win all three. I’m not worried and the lads needn’t be either; they won the Euros and just need to stay calm. Unfortunately, the ball just doesn’t go in sometimes and in Italy people always have to place blame somewhere. We just need to block that out and do certain things a little bit better. The team needs to keep doing what they’re doing; the goals will come.” Immobile, who has been one of Europe’s most prolific strikers over recent years, has received some unwarranted criticism due to his recent dry spell: “Ciro started all the games at the Euros. He scored in two games, then you go through spells where the ball just won’t go in the net, but he is making all the right runs. I don’t see any major issues there. These things happen, but he might score eight in Qatar as we win the World Cup.”
👉 FIFA World Cup Qualifier Group C, Italy leading with 11 points
| Group c standing | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 5 |
| Northern Ireland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8 | -7 | 0 |
The Azzurri are in action in Reggio Emilia where, in 1995, they recorded a round 4-0 win over Lithuania thanks to a Gianfranco Zola hattrick and a goal from Alessandro Del Piero. This being Italy’s third match in seven days, it’s inevitable that there will be some rotation to the starting eleven; players aren’t yet at full fitness considering we are only two matchdays into the Serie A season. To those that said he should start a false nine, Mancini said: “We have all of the options; we just need to evaluate the players’ fitness levels. We’re at the start of the season and we’ve just had the Euros, so we need fresh players.” Among the names touted are Sensi, Bernardeschi and Pessina: “They’re fit and could play but I don’t even know the line-up yet; we’ll need to wait until tomorrow.”
Lorenzo Insigne is preaching calm too and is optimistic for the future. On the Lithuania game: “Against Bulgaria and Switzerland, we created a lot of chances and just weren’t clinical enough in front of goal, but we just need to stay calm. We can’t get down about it; it’s disappointing not to have won but we don’t need any inquests. We’ll score tomorrow for sure and will put in a better performance. We know that our strength is in the group and that we’re working towards some big things.”
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Italy trained after the press conference; Ciro Immobile didn’t take part due to muscle strain, nor did Nicolò Zaniolo, who injured his left thigh in the game against Switzerland.
Schedule (all times CEST)
Tuesday 7 September
16:45 – ITALY press conference at the ‘Città del Tricolore’ stadium
17:15 – ITALY training at the ‘Città del Tricolore’ stadium (open to the press the first 15′)
18:15 – Lithuania press conference at ‘Città del Tricolore’ stadium
18:45 – Lithuania training at ‘Città del Tricolore’ stadium (open to the press the first 15′)
Wednesday 8 September
20:45 – ITALY vs. Lithuania (Città del Tricolore Stadium). At the end of the match, press conference, disbandment of the delegation and return of players and staff to their respective headquarters
