Italy Head Coach Mancini: I’m satisfied, it was important to win.” Belotti: “Wins bring confidence.”

International Friendly, Italian National Team

 

Azeglio Vicini, Cesare Maldini, Dino Zoff and Antonio Conte. Thanks to the win against Saudi Arabia, Roberto Mancini joins the club of coaches to have won on their Italy debuts in the past 44 years.

The hope is that the win in St Gallen will just be the first of many needed to take Italy back to the top level. “It was important to win,” said the Coach who admitted he felt emotional when the anthem played. “Even if Saudi Arabia are a way behind in the ranking, they’re a good team with good chemistry. It’s a win that only has a relative value but it’s always better to start with a win to keep morale high. Now, we have to look to give a good account of ourselves against France, it’s a match that will benefit the youngest players and some others who will play. I’m satisfied with the first half, I liked the enthusiasm at the start, we never dropped back but then towards 65 minutes we started to tire and we made two or three mistakes.”

Mancini discussed the goal conceded. “I’m not angry about it, I think it was due to tiredness. They were fresher than us. After conceding, the guys felt it a bit considering that we hadn’t won in four.” The Coach then explained that he brought Balotelli off because of an issue with his abductor muscle that was reported at the end of the first half. “Mario can do a lot better, but he did quite well for his first match back ,especially in the first half with that goal.”

From Balotelli to Belotti, the forwards responded to the call from the new Head Coach and it was the ‘Gallo’ who praised his teammate. “He’s an extraordinary player, he scored a great goal and he can give us a big hand.”

After coming on in the second half for Balotelli, the Torino forward required little time before scoring his fifth Italy goal. “Our desire to start again and that of the Coach could be seen. We played a really good game, looking to impose our style and there were lots of good moves. We created a lot and brought the win home.” Obviously, there is still a lot of regret for the failure to qualify for the World Cup. “It’s something that’s stuck in all our throats, it hurts to remember it. We looked to turn the page straight away, we’ll use this match to get back to having more confidence in ourselves.”

Alessio Romagnoli spoke about the positive effort of the whole team. “We did well and managed the ball well. The forwards gave us a hand to press, we thank them and we’re happy. What’s changed with Mancini? I did little with Ventura, this is a new cycle. We’re young, calm and we have a lot of time to work and improve together. I’m sorry about the World Cup, it’s everyone’s dream and it’s a disappointment for a side such as us to not be in Russia but we have to think of the future.”

After 70 minutes without conceding, Italy fell away a bit at the end and risked letting a deserved win slip. “In the second half, we were a bit lightweight. We were too comfortable at 2-0 and stopped playing, we can never let up because you run the risk of conceding like today.” Romagnoli also paid tribute to Balotelli. “He’s a great player, with great potential. If he continues like that, he can give us a big hand.”

After scoring a great goal a year ago in the friendly for emerging players against San Marino, Matteo Politano made his official debut in St Gallen. “It was the first match and we played well in the first half, falling away in the second. We had been preparing in attack for three days with the Coach, he asked us to be very attacking and to show our quality in the final third. I hope to keep being called up, I always give my best.” Politano knows that he still has time to improve. “Perhaps because of all the emotion I wasn’t able to express myself as I usually do, The Coach asked us to play wider so that Florenzi could play centrally, I certainly could have done better.”
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Source:  figc.it


Squad list

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), Mattia Perin (Genoa), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino);

Defenders: Leonardo Bonucci (Milan), Mattia Caldara (Atalanta), Domenico Criscito (Zenit San Pietroburgo), Danilo D’Ambrosio (Inter), Mattia De Sciglio (Juventus), Alessio Romagnoli (Milan), Daniele Rugani (Juventus), Davide Zappacosta (Chelsea);

Midfielders: Daniele Baselli (Torino), Giacomo Bonaventura (Milan), Bryan Cristante (Atalanta), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Frello Filho Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Napoli), Rolando Mandragora (Crotone), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma);

Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Nizza), Andrea Belotti (Torino), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Matteo Politano (Sassuolo), Simone Verdi (Bologna), Simone Zaza (Valencia).

SCHEDULE

 

Tuesday 29th May                

10:45 AZ9000 flight to Florence

12:00 Arrive and transfer to Coverciano

17:00  Training (First 15 minutes open to the press.)

 

Wednesday 30th May

10:30 Training (Final 15 minutes open to the press.)

13:00 Lunch

Meetings with press to follow

17:00 Training

 

Thursday 31st May

10:30 Training

16:00  Transfer to Florence airport

17:30  AZ9001 charter flight to Nice

18:40  Arrive in Nice and transfer to the  Allianz Riviera

19:15 Walk Around

19:30 Head Coach and one player press conference

 

Friday 1st June

10:30  Training at OGC Nice

21.00 France vs. Italy – Meetings with press and transfer to hotel after

00:45 AZ9000 charter flight to Turin

Saturday 2nd June

10:30 Training in Vinovo (Final 15 minutes open to press.)

Meetings with press to follow

17:00 Training at Vinovo

 

Sunday 3rd June     

10:30 Training at Vinovo  (Final 15 minutes open to press.)

Press conference with Head Coach and one player to follow

17:00  Training in Vinovo

Monday 4th June     

10:30 Training at the Allianz Stadium

20:45 Italy vs. Netherlands – Referee: Bezborodov (Russia)

Meetings with press to follow