By Anna Italia
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Italian Soccer Serie A
Italy Head Coach Roberto Mancini named his final 23-man squad for the UEFA Nations League finals, 22 of whom were part of the EURO-winning squad in the summer; Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini joins the squad. It will be possible to replace players right up until the start of the first match in case of injury or positive Covid tests.
As reported by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the Italian called up players will meet on Sunday evening at the Suning Training Centre in Appiano Gentile and will stay in Milan until after the game against Spain when they will move the camp down to Coverciano to prepare for Sunday’s game – based on the semi-final result.
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Surely, Italy’s objective will be to win the UEFA Nations League Finals after winning the UEFA EURO 2020. The games will be played in Milan and Turin. On Wednesday 6 October, Italy take on Spain in a replay of the EURO 2020 semi-final, while reigning world champions France face Belgium at the Juventus Stadium in Turin on Thursday. The Nations League trophy, which was won by Portugal in the first edition of the tournament, will be given out on Sunday evening in Milan, though not before the bronze-medal game in Turin in the afternoon. The excitement is building for the match against La Furia Roja, with over 22,000 tickets sold already (of a maximum of 37,000) and could well sell out by Monday.
ITALY VS. SPAIN. Italy and Spain have played each other 38 times: 11 wins for the Azzurri, 16 draws and 11 wins for La Roja (44 goals scored to 41). In terms of matches in Italy, the Azzurri lead by five wins to two (eight draws), but have a negative away record (six wins for Spain to Italy’s one). This will be Italy’s 58th game in Milan; the national team played its first game at the city’s Arena Civica (15 March 1910 vs. France) and donned the famous Azzurro for the first time while playing against Hungary in the city (1911). Italy are unbeaten in Milan for 93 years and are also unbeaten in all 28 games played at San Siro, though they have drawn their last five at the Meazza – including that costly match against Sweden. The winless run at the Meazza has been ongoing for nine years, with Italy’s last win at the famous old ground coming on 16 October 2012 (3-1 vs. Denmark: goals from Montelivo, De Rossi and Balotelli). Italy have hosted Spain three times at the Meazza: two draws (1924 and 1980) and one win for the Azzurri (4-0 in 1942).
RECORD-SETTING AZZURRI. With a win over Lithuania, Italy set a record for the longest unbeaten run in international football: 37 games, better than Spain 2007-2009 (35) and Brazil 1993-1995 (35, but with an unofficial game that did not count). In addition, in the three-and-a-half years since Mancini’s arrival, the Azzurri went the longest without conceding (1168’, beating another Italy side from 1974) and a 15-game winning streak between qualifiers and the Euros, the longest of any international side ever. Then, we have other Italian football records: 13 consecutive wins in all competitions (from November 2020 to July 2021) to beat the records set under Pozzo and Lippi; 22 games without defeat at home, more than the 21 under Bearzot; 98 points taken in 42 games following 29 wins, eleven draws and two defeats (2.33 points per game – another best for the Azzurri). In more general terms, Mancini’s Azzurri have moved up 15 places in the world rankings since May 2018 (from 20th to fifth) and have extended their unbeaten run at home to 61 games (friendlies not included). Their last competitive loss on home soil was a 3-2 defeat to Denmark in Naples on 8 September 1999 in Euro 2000 qualifying.
In three years, Mancini has named 78 different squad members, 68 of whom have got on the pitch. His most-utilised player has been Bonucci (34 appearances, 2,915 minutes), followed by Jorginho (33 appearances but a higher total of 2,952 minutes on the pitch). He has handed a debut to 36 different players, the last of whom was Scamacca in September. On an individual level, other records have been broken too. Bonucci became the Italian with the most appearances at the European Championship (18, ahead of Buffon and Chiellini on 17); Chiellini over too Zoff (113 appearances) to become the sixth-most capped Italy player of all time. Immobile (16 goals) is the most prolific currently active Italy player.
LOGO. On Monday 4 October at the Garage Italia in Milan, the institutional logo of the FIGC – created by design agency Independent Ideas – will be unveiled. The FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and the president of the Laps Foundation and Independent Ideas Lapo Elkann will take part in the presentation.
🇮🇹 👉 ITALY SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa);
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri (Lione), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain);
Attackers: Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo).
🇮🇹 👉 ITALY – THE SCHEDULE (all times CEST)
Sunday 3 October
Meeting and molecular test at Appiano Gentile
Monday 4 October
13:45 – Player press conference (online)*
17:30 – Training (closed)**
18:30 – Presentation of the FIGC institutional logo
Tuesday 5 October
15:45 – ITALY press conference (online/UEFA) at the Stadio Meazza in Milan
16:30 – ITALY training (open to the media for the first 15 minutes) at the Stadio Meazza
17:45 – SPAIN press conference (online/UEFA) at the Stadio Meazza
18:30 – SPAIN training (open to the media for the first 15 minutes) at the Stadio Meazza
Wednesday 6 October
20:45 – ITALY VS. SPAIN (UNL semi-final) at the Stadio Meazza in Milan. Followed by a press conference and transfer to Coverciano
Thursday 7 October
Time TBD – Training (closed)** at Covericano
Friday 8 October
Time TBD– Player press conference (online)* at Coverciano
Saturday 9 October
Time TBD – Transfer from Florence to X
Time TBD – ITALY press conference (online/UEFA)
Time TBD – ITALY training (open to the media for the first 15 minutes)
Time TBD – X press conference
Time TBD – X training (open to the media for the first 15 minutes)
Sunday 10 October
ITALY VS. X. Followed by a press conference and a return to the respective clubs