After Italy's 0-2 home defeat to Belgium in the UEFA Nations League group stage, head coach Luciano Mancini spoke to Sky Sport Italia about the match.

This match and what happened afterward was full of emotional highs and lows. Let's start with the first half, where we saw a team that—I don't know if Mancini anticipated this—but seemed somewhat disjointed, lacking cohesion, constantly searching for rhythm and expression in both attack and defense.

But that's the reality. We faced a very strong team, and in the first half they really put us under pressure; we suffered quite a bit. However, in the second half, we played very well in the first 25 minutes, creating many scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, we lacked luck, and then we conceded a second goal, and the match was over.

How far behind are we really? Or is it too early to make comparisons—like ranking teams in this division or that—when we've only just begun?

Yes, but we just need to keep working hard, that's all. So we're well aware that the upcoming matches will be just as difficult as today's match, but we must continue training hard and not give up or lose heart just because we've lost one or two matches.

Putting aside the booing from the stands—I think that booing was really quite unpleasant...

Well, but when you lose, I think hearing boos is quite normal, so...

One more thing, about the starting lineup setup, positioning Kean on the right wing, and both Piola and Cambiaghi—what tactical effectiveness were you looking for? Because this is the sixth time Kean has played on the right wing under your management, isn't it? In your system, with Kean, do you want him to play wide or cut inside?

We were limited in the first half because Belgium played very well; they played better. And in the second half, Kean played very well. He had two or three chances to equalize at 1-1, and he constantly positioned himself well at the far post to intercept and receive the ball, so in my view, he had an excellent match.

Cambiaghi also looked quite solid on the opposite wing, with good running ability and powerful leg strength...

This was one of his first good matches, yes.

Exactly, because previously he had only played a minute. There were a few other interesting points about the match: first, the defense seemed a bit uncomfortable defending set pieces...

Are you referring to the defense in the first half or the second half?

The first half!

Well, we struggled in the first half because they played better than us, I mean... but we already knew that before the match. This isn't a new situation I'm discovering now. So we anticipated having to endure some difficulty in the first half, and indeed that's what happened. However, in the second half, our performance improved considerably. So despite the first half being negative and dull, the second half that followed was positive and strong.

Exactly. You can carry that good performance from the second half forward. In the very near future, we still have three more matches to play; there's time to develop, time to adjust and change, and even time to try different things...

...different tactical solutions to problems, and then we'll strive for victory. So in total, we still have five matches ahead of us; let's wait and see.

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