National team, World playoff, coach Mancini: “I trust the players”

“I trust the boys.” Italian coach Roberto Mancini is optimistic in view of the playoffs for the World Cup which will be played in Qatar. The first match is on March 24 in Palermo against North Macedonia and, in case of victory, the second match on March 29 against the winner of Portugal-Turkey.

great expectation

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“The boys are playing and perhaps they still don’t think about it. But I think that when they are alone at home, they think about it – he said on the sidelines of the presentation of the winning project for the renovation of the stadium in Florence -. It is a situation that we have created for ourselves. The first match will be even more difficult, we should have a great match. We will play in Palermo, where the crowd is often close to the team, so I think we will do well. I trust the guys. I know it will be 10 hard and difficult days. We should have done without going this far. But sometimes in sport you have to work hard, and we will struggle. Who plays? It will be evaluated a week before the call-up, but I think roughly the team will be that, plus someone else. “

thinking about ukraine

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“The message of Shevchenko on Ukraine? Surely the situation is dramatic, sport usually unites and does not divide – added Mancini -. Sport can help, it is a difficult time for the Ukrainian people, we do something for them knowing that in Russia Most people are against war. The Ukrainian people are the ones suffering the most. We are lucky enough that we have an outlet in our work. It is a dark time for all of us. For any person in the world to wake up every morning and know that there is a war where people die is very difficult “.