PEOPLE AND PLACES IN THE NEWS
saying: “We’ve managed to build this side
in a very short time and that was not that
easy. I have got to thank my players who
have done well to create a good feeling
among themselves.
“All I did was try to make them believe
in their abilities.”
With qualification in the bag, Mancinican now experiment with his side and
he will probably want to take a closer
look at players such as Torino goalkeeper
Salvatore Sirigu, Napoli right-back
Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Roma defender
Gianluca Mancini, Brescia’s Sandro
Tonali, Roma’s attacking midfielder
Nicolo Zaniolo and the experienced
Andrea Belotti of Torino.
However, with one eye on the world
rankings he will not want to risk too much
just yet.
On the morning after the win against
Greece, the entire Italy squad was up
early to travel into the centre of Rome
for a Vatican audience with Pope Francis.
Mancini presented the Pope with a
“Bergoglio 10” shirt, signed by all the
players. The Holy Father, for his part,
gave the squad his blessing, reminding
the players of the “happiness that can
come from a game, from football”. After
all, he said, “even with a ball of straw you
can perform miracles”.
Italy and Mancini hardly performed
miracles against Greece, but it seems
clear that a new wind is blowing through
Italian football, at least as far as La
Nazionale are concerned.
Back in November 2017, on the night
of the draw with Sweden, that would have
been hard to predict with any confidence.
Paddy Agnewwinners of a game in which the traffic
was almost exclusively one way. Yet, the
fact is that, when the game was goalless,
the two best chances of the first hour
went to the visitors on two of their rare
sorties upfield.
Speaking after the game, Mancini
avoided making any triumphant noises,
Job done...Mancini