Mancini: Kayode's Debut Excellent, Overall Performance Outstanding Aside from the Goal

After leading his team to a convincing 4-1 away victory over Turkey in the second matchday of the UEFA Nations League group stage, Italy's head coach Mancini was interviewed by Sky Sport Italia.

Congratulations. I'd like to start with what Pio Esposito just told us. He said, "The coach told us to enjoy the game, and I really enjoyed it." That's somewhat similar to the idea you expressed a few days ago. What kind of Italy national team did you see today? How satisfied are you with what you saw?

I'm very satisfied. I'm very satisfied because they played really well, truly very well. On a very challenging pitch with very difficult conditions, they really showed many outstanding performances. I'm happy for them because they deserved it.

We had some doubts right until the end of the match, or rather about Esposito. How do you evaluate his debut for the national team? Also, what specific requirements do you have for your forwards in terms of their positioning on the pitch?

We asked Sebastiano to stretch the play wide on the left to create space, and for Raspadori to play behind Pio, because that way we could trouble the opposition, while Kayode attacked from the right. The first half went exactly like that and was very good. In the second half, Turkey clearly fought back, which is normal, and given the very muddy and dangerous pitch conditions, we then faced some difficulty.

Yes, you mentioned Kayode. Can you also comment on his performance? Because...

Excellent, he performed fantastically, especially considering it was his debut, and that's not easy. So, aside from the goal, his overall performance was also very good.

What made you most proud in this match, overcoming all these difficulties without adequate preparation and tactical training? What lessons did you take from the match against Turkey, and what will you take into the France match next?

No, nothing major. This victory is actually similar to the defeat against Belgium; it's not a big deal. For us, what really matters is that the players realize they can play high-quality football. A long journey has just begun, so now we need to recover our energy, because Friday's match certainly won't be easy.