With a charter flight from Venice Airport, which is now the Official Hub of the Italy National Teams, the squad arrived in Palermo in the late morning ahead of the match tomorrow against Armenia at 20:45 CET at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, one which will bring the European Qualifiers to a close. After qualifying with three matches to spare and securing status as a seeded side for the draw on 30 November in Bucharest, Italy will now look for another three points in order to climb the FIFA ranking and finish 2019 on a high.

By winning tomorrow, the Azzurri would make it ten wins in a calendar year for the first time. That would be another record for Roberto Mancini after bettering Vittorio Pozzo and becoming the first Italy Coach to win ten in a row. “I wasn’t expecting ten wins, but I was expecting qualify,” said Roberto Mancini at the pre-match press conference while also thanking Arrigo Sacchi for his kind words. “We’ve got a European Championship to play and we want to go into it at our best. The main objective wasn’t to win straight away but to do something different and special to make the fans feel close to the team again. We didn’t want to win playing speculative football but by playing our game and taking risks. The players have taken this on board quickly.”

Italy are also aiming to extend the unbeaten run in European qualifiers which now stands at 39 games, with the most recent defeat coming in September 2006 against France. The team would also like to finish the group on full points ahead of the start of the European Championship finals in Rome on 12 June. Down in 99th place in the world ranking and after losing 3-1 in Yerevan on 5 September, Armenia will have a tough task against an Italy side who have scored two goals in each of the last nine games and who have failed to concede in 288 minutes since Pukki scored on 8 September in Finland. “It’s a match where we have to show improvement, score goals and defend well while playing good football. These are three important things for a strong side. With the team at the moment, there’s a bit of tiredness and we will make changes.” One player is who certain to feature is Federico Chiesa: “He’s a definite. I expect a great performance and not just from him but from all those who didn’t play on Friday. They have to show that they deserve to be here.”

The important thing is to take to the pitch in a positive manner, as the team did a year ago when they dominated the game against Portugal in Milan despite not managing to pick up the win: “We’re not talking about a poor side here, even if it’s true that Cristiano Ronaldo was missing. I’ve had luck in that the lads have believed in something different. In addition to that, I am able to count on technically gifted players who perhaps have fewer physical qualities. If we win the ball high up the pitch we give less away, it might seem mundane but this is reality.” The Head Coach has been surprised at how quickly the group has taken the ideas on board, especially the younger players (“they’ve taken the chances they’ve been given”) and knows that a difficult task awaits when it comes to selecting his squad for the European Championship (“leaving some of the lads at home will be difficult”). Mancini also knows that the National Team will receive a warm welcome tomorrow in a city where Italy have won twelve of the 14 games they’ve played there: “It’s a pleasure to be here, Palermo deserve to be a Serie A side when you look at their support and the city itself. There’s a lot of disappointment that this isn’t the case. We need our supporters and it could be an enjoyable evening, even if the game won’t be easy at the start.”

Alongside the Head Coach during the press conference was Leonardo Bonucci, who moved level with Giacinto Facchetti in ninth place in terms of all-time appearances for Italy. Tomorrow, he could win his 95th cap, which would result in him being just three behind Gianluca Zambrotta: “We’ll once again be one of the great sides in Europe when we demonstrate that we’ve made that step up to compete with those who have made the difference on the world stage over the past few years,” the captain said. “Spain, France and Germany have many top players at European level, compared to them the only thing we’re lacking is experience. This is a great group, everyone enjoys each other’s company and is involved.”

Bonucci is currently wearing the captain’s armband with Chiellini having suffered a serious injury (“it was a moment which sparked something more in me, my objective was to be better than the previous two years”), and the Juventus defender is a senior figure in a side which includes many emerging young talents: “I was once like them, the more you play against intense and competitive teams the better you become. We are accelerating this process thanks to the Head Coach. I’ve made mistakes but they’ve helped me to grow.”

He then commented on Karapetyan’s red card during the match in Yerevan, when the Armenian striker accused Bonucci of feigning injury to get him sent off: “There was no simulation on my part. I had suffered a cut to my left eye four days earlier and still have the scar from the stitches now. It was an instinctive reaction, not because Karapetyan was already on a yellow card. There are moments when you just don’t think, but I have never simulated and will never do so. I have maximum respect for the Armenians and we’ll be coming up against them tomorrow, including Karapetyan. 90 intense minutes await. We expect them to sit with everyone behind the ball and try to hit us on the counter, we need to pick up the win.”

He may not have two World Cups on his honours list or Olympic gold like Vittorio Pozzo but Roberto Mancini now has the longest winning streak as Italy Coach, overtaking the legendary former boss who won consecutive World Cups in 1934 and 1938. Mancini has done an excellent job of leading the side to the European Championship finals and the team will be a top seed during the draw on 30 November in Bucharest before the tournament kicks off on 12 June 2020 in Rome. “It’s nice to have gone ahead of a legend like Pozzo but he won five trophies, including two World Cups,” said Mancini. “The road is still long but we’re happy. It was an excellent performance from Italy, we knew that we were up against a solid and strong side and it wasn’t going to be an easy game but we did well and shaped the game like we wanted to early on.”

The Coach was asked about individuals with Tonali making his first start: “It went well, he’s not Verratti but he has similar characteristics.” Belotti was also discussed after hitting the third goal. “If he scores it’s always a good thing, let’s hope that he and Immobile keep scoring at the European Championship.” Overall though, it was the entire group who bounced back after the disappointment of missing out on the last World Cup. “Football is like that. At times there are unexpected results even when they’re not deserved. The guys have been good, they’ve done well technically from the start also. Everyone played well today, you don’t win 3-0 otherwise.” There was only one negative point for the Coach following the whistle: “At the end, we dropped back too deep and we need to improve on that. When you start to tire, it’s better to defend higher up.”

After hitting two goals a month ago against Liechtenstein in Vaduz, Andrea Belotti scored again to take his overall Azzurri tally up to nine and he’s the highest scorer in the current squad. “When I go on, I always look to give my best and help the team,” he said. “Then, if you score it’s something you’ve earned as a striker. Ten wins from ten is good for a side that had to start again, it’s nice because winning helps you to keep winning. We’ll take the record but we want other records and have other dreams. Mancini has made a big impact and he has very clear ideas. Of course, it wasn’t easy to go again after what had happened and he helped us to do so in a way that shouldn’t be taken for granted.”

On Monday against Armenia, it will be Immobile’s turn. “More than a rival, Ciro is a friend and a really great forward and he’s showing it. I don’t think one forward is enough for Italy and more are needed. If we keep it up, it’s all for the good of the National Team. I don’t think I’m higher in the pecking order, I need to earn my spot in every game. I just need to stay focused.” On Monday, the side will play in Palermo which is one of Belotti’s former clubs. “It’s a city that gave me a lot. We hope that a lot of fans will be there because we want to make them happy.”

Francesco Acerbi is less used to finding the net but you couldn’t tell with the quality of his first international goal. “We played a great game at a difficult place to visit,” he said. “We’re an excellent group with a mix of young and experienced players. We’re on the right toad.”

Gianluigi Donnarruma was one of the best players, making a number of superb saves: “I can feel the faith of the team and Coach in me,” said the goalkeeper. “We played excellently, we knew it wouldn’t be easy and we did very well. Can we win them all at the European Championship? We’re a great team and we know that we can play against anyone.” 

It was a memorable night for Sandro Tonali who started for the first time in Zenica after coming on previously against Liechtenstein. “I’m happy with what we did as a team away from my own performance. I’m happy that I was able to deal with the emotion of starting and I’ll give everything to be in the final squad of 23 for the European Championship.”