Mancini: Black players? They can help us, we're happy to have them

On October 3 at 02:45 Beijing Time (CEST), Italy will visit France in the third round of the UEFA Nations League group stage. Ahead of the match, Italy national team coach Mancini attended a press conference. This article covers the second part of that press conference.

Good evening, coach. I'd like to ask this question: you just spoke about Bianchedi's departure. Also, on Tuesday, the Italian Olympic Committee board will meet to choose the implementation of guardianship for the Italian Football Federation. Does all this situation worry you? Given that the national team needs stability and a calm atmosphere, both to begin a new journey on the pitch and in management, after all, everyone talks about the national team, but very few truly care, right?

It's clear that when people work, they need stability and calm. But today we see the president is very calm; we talk about the match, and he wants to know about the team's situation. As for Bianchedi, it's clear we regret it because she was perfectly integrated into the team, and we're sorry she couldn't continue working with us here.

Good evening, coach. Given that you're at the beginning of a new journey, does a match against a strong team like France come too early in terms of timing? In your vision or for the work you're implementing, wouldn't it be better to face a team whose strength is closer to Italy's current level first?

Every opponent in the UEFA Nations League group stage is quite difficult to face. Clearly, France is one of the best teams in the world; if they weren't, they wouldn't have achieved such brilliant results in the last three World Cups. Their squad is full of very talented players, so tomorrow's match will certainly be very difficult. But as I said before, this match can also reveal more information to us, help us understand what we can achieve and what we can offer in the coming months.

A question for the head coach: Do you also realize, like your predecessors, that panic and fear might be the most dangerous and complicated enemies for this national team? Now we're playing against France, and with all respect to Belgium and Turkey, France, together with Spain, England, and Argentina, ranks among the three or four strongest teams in the world. From a paradoxical perspective, could this actually be an advantage? Bringing psychological comfort to the team? Meaning, on paper, we're facing a very strong team, so we have nothing to lose and therefore can play more calmly, freely, and truly be ourselves?

I think people should always remember that this is just a football match, and even if you play against a strong team like France, being here and participating in a match like this in Paris is something truly beautiful in itself. The opportunity to play here doesn't come often, and although recently we've met a bit more frequently, it's always a very interesting encounter. Therefore, our goal tomorrow evening is to play a high-quality and brilliant match.

Good evening, Coach Roberto. In this new Italian national team, we see six players of African descent, including from Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and so on. Given that Italy has missed the last three World Cups, is this a new policy of the Italian Football Federation? That is, using the strength of the diaspora to revive Italian football? We know that Serie A is very popular in Africa, and many people love Italian football. Is this an "alliance" between the two?

No, it's because the whole world has changed long ago, and Italy is naturally no exception. So now we have the opportunity to have players who can truly give us more, bring new elements beyond the characteristics of our traditional Italian players. This can be of tremendous help to us, and we're very happy to have them.

Tomorrow evening you'll play against France, and France has Ousmane Dembélé on the wing. Coach, how will you prepare when facing France's 2025 Ballon d'Or winner?

How do you play against such a strong team? He also wants to hear your opinion. As I just said, it's wonderful to compete against such a strong team because it gives you the chance to challenge a strong opponent and compete with them on equal terms. Although they are far more mature than us, and as everyone says, they have Dembélé, Doué, Olise... Just looking at this lineup could make you feel sick! But we know we have to face them, and we also understand that as long as we maintain a reasonable formation and teamwork on the pitch, we can truly play a great match.

Kayode, as a defender, has a very rare attacking ability and the capacity to push forward and score goals. Without disrupting the overall team balance, how much attacking freedom do you want to give him?

Kayode is a very attacking player, but he also has very strong physical attributes, so he can both defend and attack. In the match against Turkey in Bursa, we asked him to push forward significantly and participate in attacks, and he did very well, not only making his debut but also scoring a goal—it couldn't have been more perfect. So he must maintain this momentum and continue developing, because he's still very young.

I have a direct question for Alessandro, but I also want to hear the head coach's opinion on this: what does Coach Mancini think about Bastoni playing in a back four?

Both are outstanding players who can play equally well with man-to-man marking and zone marking. Previously with the national team—and I hope I remember correctly—there was a match where he and Acerbi, two left-footed players, formed a central defensive partnership to defend against Lewandowski at his peak, and they played a very good match. So they are top players who are perfectly capable of performing in both tactical systems.

I have two questions about the starting lineup. I want to know if the three players who played the full ninety minutes—Donnarumma, Tonali, and Pino Esposito—will also participate in the third match? Or would it be better to rest them for one match, given this intense 10-day schedule? Also, why hasn't Inácio been included in the squad for the third consecutive time?

Inácio is a very young player, 18 years old, who needs to grow and develop, and that takes time. He needs to start training with us and gain experience. Although he currently plays for Borussia Dortmund, his playing time is indeed very limited. We're very aware of his potential and quality, so he will definitely get his chance in the future; he will definitely become a key member of the national team. But he's too young, and we must give him time to understand where he is and what he can achieve. As for the others, Gigio (Donnarumma) will definitely be the starter tomorrow, and for the rest, we'll do a physical assessment tomorrow morning to check their recovery status.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com