Mancini returns to the Azzurri with nine debutants

Roberto Mancini will begin his second spell in charge of the Italy national team on September 25 against Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. As reported by Mundo Deportivo, the coach has named a 34-man squad mixing established faces with nine debutants ahead of a first run of games.

Nine first-timers

Among the newcomers are defenders Daniele Ghilardi (Roma), Michael Kayode (Brentford) and Eddy Kouadio (Monza). The midfield includes Issa Doumbia (Sporting de Portugal), Alessandro Romano (Cagliari) and Antonio Vergara (Napoli), while goalkeeper Massimo Pessina (Bologna) also debuts. In attack, the list brings in Sebastiano Esposito (Sassuolo) and Mohamed Ali Zoma (Núremberg), according to Mundo Deportivo.

Key returns and key absences

Mancini keeps several regulars such as Gianluigi Donnarumma, Riccardo Calafiori, Nicolò Barella and Sandro Tonali, alongside players like Bastoni, Di Lorenzo, Dimarco, Scamacca and Raspadori. He also brings back Nicolò Fagioli, Nicolò Zaniolo and Rolando Mandragora.

The squad is also affected by physical issues: Manuel Locatelli, Federico Chiesa and Marco Palestra are unavailable, as stated by Mundo Deportivo.

After Belgium, Italy travel to Turkey on September 28, face France on October 2 in Saint-Denis, and finish the first mini-cycle on October 5 against Turkey in Bologna. Mancini’s return comes three years after his previous stint ended, following Gennaro Gattuso’s resignation in March after yet another failed World Cup qualification attempt, the paper adds.