Football – Italy in the Nations League: Mancini’s talent show reloaded

In Italy, before the Nations League game against Germany, optimism prevails. The generational change initiated after the end of the World Cup qualifier is off to a good start. With some players that hardly anyone in Italy knew before.

Italy also only played a draw. But Roberto Mancini’s team comes to Mönchengladbach with a smile and self-confidence. At home, the Squadra Azzurra’s 0-0 draw against England on Saturday – unlike Germany’s shared points in Hungary at the same time – is celebrated as a success. Above all, the manner of appearance makes for positive headlines. The Gazzetta dello Sport attests the Italian team “ideas and courage“, the Corriere dello Sport headlines: “That was a World Cup-worthy Italy“. To then explain that an Italian national team in this form (“young and beautiful“) would certainly have qualified for the World Cup.

In fact, Italy’s performance against England – plus the not-so-bad games against Germany and Hungary – gives the Tifose and Tifosi hope for renewed success from a new generation of internationals. For Mancini, the Nations League is the stage for a generational change – after the failure in the World Cup qualification against North Macedonia and the clear defeat in the “Finalissima” against South American champions Argentina, in which mostly players from the European champion team of 2021 were on the pitch. Giorgio Chiellini was yesterday, Federico Gatti is today – and possibly tomorrow.

Surprise player Gatti

Federico Gatti? Football fans who follow Serie A closely also asked themselves this question when Mancini called the 23-year-old to the national team. Because Gatti plays in the second Italian division for Frosinone, a small town south of Rome. Gatti was then in the starting line-up against England without ever having played a first-class game. And it was hard to believe: the 1.90 meter tall two-league kicker eliminated England’s captain Harry Kane as a matter of course, after Roma star Tammy Abraham had previously failed to win against the debutant. Concentrated, physically strong, with an impressive presence, good timing and an excellent header – what Gatti offered against England, old master Chiellini could not have done better. He has the shirt number 3 from “Giorgio Nazionale” inherited.

From bricklayer to the Italian national team

A national team debut was just a dream for Gatti six years ago. At that time, the amateur footballer, who was 17 at the time, worked as a bricklayer and warehouse worker to support his family after his father lost his job. Nevertheless, Gatti slowly went up in football, through the fifth and third into the second division. Until Mancini invited the former bricklayer and warehouse worker to a national team course this winter – and Gatti was able to sign a contract with Juventus almost at the same time.

One of Mancini’s secrets of success is having the courage to take unusual paths when making personnel decisions and, when in doubt, to only trust your own football sense. That was already the case when Mancini took over the then struggling national team in 2018. Back then, too, he brought a player into the Squadra Azzurra in Nicolo Zaniolo, who had not played a game in Serie A before. Now 22, Zaniolo is acknowledged as one of the hopes of Italian football, having been called up to the national team to become a regular at club AS Roma, which he shot to Conference League success last month.

Mancini with an eye for “outsiders”

Italy’s new national team is a sort of Mancini talent show reloaded. The cycle of the European champion team he formed ended with the lost “Finalissima” against Argentina. In the first three Nations League games, Mancini has debuted eight players, their average age was 21.3 years. In the search for the right national kickers, Mancini acts less like a selection coach and more like a club’s talent scout.

The former national striker looks everywhere for players whom he considers excellent footballers, capable of development and suitable for his style of play. He also looks at Serie B or more average foreign leagues – as well as middle-aged footballers who have already been written off by the big Serie A clubs. According to the quite self-confident motto: Sometimes I know better than those responsible in Italy’s first division who is an extraordinary footballer. So not only the former bricklayer and warehouse worker Gatti got on the Mancini radar, but also Willy Gnonto, reserve player in Switzerland.

Gnonto with the potential to become a superstar

The 18-year-old Italian with parents from Nigeria had few prospects from his youth club Inter Milan the summer before last – and had moved to Switzerland to FC Zurich, coached by André Breitenreiter. There, the fast, dribbling and dangerous winger usually only came from the substitutes’ bench, but he scored eight goals this season – and impressed the all-seeing Mancini.

Gnonto’s debut in the first Nations League game against Germany was brilliant. Now the clubs in Italy, which had completely ignored Gnonto until last month, want to pay millions for Mancini’s discovery. TSG Hoffenheim should have the best chances – Gnonto could continue to work there under Breitenreiter. Like Mancini, he sees the top scorer of the 2019 U-17 World Cup as a superstar.

With which team Italy will compete against Germany is open. Mancini almost made a complete substitution against England, with nine new players in the starting XI compared to the previous encounter against Hungary. It is also possible that Mancini will change everything against the German team. The 57-year-old is still working on the new cycle of the Squadra Azzurra. Football fans in Italy are enjoying watching him again. However, Mancini himself complains of a shortcoming: his new team also scores too few goals. In conclusion, says Italy’s national coach, “we still make too many mistakes“.