The new coach is the excuse for fleeing to Saudi Arabia, the guarantee that there is material to work on in the national team and the ambitious goal of winning again: this is how Mancini presented himself after the controversy.
“I made a mistake and I’m sorry. I’m in love with the national team, it’s like when you lose the woman of your life due to a mistake. Fate, and also president Malagò, allow me to redeem myself. I’m here to win important trophies, and to stay as long as possible”: Roberto Mancini he didn’t make any sweeping moves to address the heart of the problem. His escape in the middle of the summer of 2023, the betrayal of Italy, the mega contract in Saudi Arabia and the blue shirt left in trouble, then only partially repaired by Spalletti.
On his first day as Italy selector, called by the president of the FIGC, Giovanni Malagòat the end of two weeks of messes, errors and omissions, Mancini immediately tried to climb the highest mountain: that of trust and love from public opinion to be found so that the relationship can be mended.
Time will tell whether he succeeded or not. The departure, however, was that of a man who decided to publicly assume his responsibilities, avoiding even going back to the nuances of that summer escape. “I will make sure that the national team can play well to make up for what happened three years ago. I clarified with Gravina, the responsibility for the farewell was mine, if we had spoken to each other nothing would have happened”: his thoughts. My fault (the escape) not that of others and my responsibility, not that of others, to have to win the people back.
The rest wasn’t too different from the first Mancio in Coverciano. Then he guaranteed that Italy was less bad than it seemed and that it could be made to play well and aim to win. Mission accomplished in the incredible European Championship closed with the triumph at Wembley. Today he says more or less the same things, raising his sights and the bar of expectations: “The players are there, they are good, young, they must be trusted. You will see that we will work on it. Remember Zaniolo: when he came to us the first time he had never played in Serie A. The first meeting he was in difficulty, in the second he was a different player. The Under 21, Under 20 and Under 19 teams have to play with the same game system as us, so it’s easier for the players to adapt.”
The immediate and medium-term objectives, given that he hopes to stay at least five years like the first time: “In 2018, when we arrived, ninety percent of journalists considered Italy the seventh or eighth team in Europe. I have never agreed. If in four years we have achieved 37 useful results in a row, and Spain stole the record from us, it means that we have done something good. When Italy goes to the World Cup or the European Championship, it becomes dangerous. Our goal is to form a team immediately and aim to obtain results everywhere: Nations League, European Championship, World Cup.”
At his side is Malagò who will have to shield him in the first, difficult, months of reconciliation. He put his face on the choice of Mancini and tried to extend it to the group too: “Yesterday Donnarumma wrote me this: ‘Pres, Mancini was what we wanted’. And Gabriele Gravina told me that I was good, he spoke to me about total agreement in the choice of Roberto and Ranieri. When Claudio told me ‘ok, I’m coming’, all with great enthusiasm, I was very happy. Then this morning he called me and asked me what being president of Club Italia and director entails technician. I sent him the documents and said ‘well, best wishes’.”
