Italy coach Roberto Mancini previewed the Nations League semifinal with Spain: “We have some issues since the two strikers we relied on in the Euro are missing. Moise Kean and Giacomo Raspadori will be options to fill in, plus we have a few offensive players. We will see what the best solution will be.”
“We always want to win and keep the positive streak alive, and we are aware that it is up to us. Luis Enrique is right, as we will lose sooner or later. I would like to avoid it until December 2022, but we know it will not be easy.”
Mancini explained why he decided to call up Federico Dimarco: “I made him debut in Serie A, and I know him very well. A few years have passed, and I wanted to see him again. It is fair to leave some players to the U-21 team too, including Sandro Tonali, because they have two big games coming up.”
“Nations League is an important competition, even though it might not look that way right after the Euro. Preparing it in so little time is not easy. The four best European teams made it to this point.”
“I do not know if Federico Chiesa could turn into a center-forward down the line. We have precise roles, and we know where he can be at his best right now. Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi have played in that position too.”
Mancini looked back at the Euro game against Spain: “We had some problems in that match due to their ball possession, plus it was a semifinal. They have been using the same style for 20 years, and they are more advanced than us there. We have to improve, and we have 14 crucial months ahead of us to do it.”