Roberto Mancini's Bold New Era with Italy
Roberto Mancini didn’t ease himself back into the Italy job. He ripped up the old script.
In his first major act since being re-appointed Azzurri head coach, the 61-year-old has named a bold, 34-man squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign – and it reads like the start of a new era rather than a nostalgic reprise.
A second Mancini era, a very different Italy
Mancini’s return, confirmed by the FIGC at the end of July after Gennaro Gattuso’s departure, comes with the national team still reeling from a brutal statistic: three straight failures to reach the World Cup. His response is clear. Sentiment is out. Renewal is in.
Only six survivors remain from his Euro 2020-winning side: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alessandro Bastoni, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Nicolo Barella, Bryan Cristante and Giacomo Raspadori. The core that carried Italy to Wembley glory has been largely dismantled, replaced by a wave of youth and fresh profiles.
The new campaign begins with a demanding run of four League A Group 1 fixtures across the September and October international window: Belgium at home, France away, and a double-header against Turkey. It is a schedule that offers no hiding place for experiments – yet Mancini is experimenting anyway.
Big names out, big calls made
The most striking decisions come in the omissions column.
- Chelsea’s Marco Palestra, recently sidelined through injury, misses out despite making his debut in March and earning two caps.
- Tottenham Hotspur’s Destiny Udogie, who has not featured for Italy since June 2025, is also left out.
- So too Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa, called up earlier this year but unused since Euro 2024.
They are not alone. Juventus trio Manuel Locatelli, Federico Gatti and Andrea Cambiaso are all absent. Napoli pair Leonardo Spinazzola and Alessandro Buongiorno drop out as well, along with Al-Qadsiah striker Mateo Retegui.
These are not fringe figures. They are players who, in another context, would form the spine of a conventional Italy squad. Mancini has chosen a different route.
Nine new faces and a clear message
The door has swung open for nine debutants.
- Brentford right-back Michael Kayode earns his first call, a significant nod to his rise in the Premier League.
- In goal, 18-year-old Bologna prospect Massimo Pessina is included, a striking show of faith in a teenager at the start of his senior career.
- Roma defender Daniele Ghilardi and Monza’s Eddy Kouadio come in to bolster the defensive options.
- Cagliari’s Alessandro Romano and Sporting Lisbon midfielder Issa Doumbia add further new blood in key areas.
- In attack and midfield creativity, Sassuolo’s Sebastiano Esposito, Napoli’s Antonio Vergara and Nurnberg’s Mohamed Ali Zoma all receive their first taste of the senior setup.
These are not marquee names yet. That seems to be the point. Mancini is betting on potential, on energy, on players who can grow into the shirt rather than live off past glories.
Young stars kept at the heart of the project
Not every call is a surprise. Some are a statement of continuity.
Borussia Dortmund forward Samuele Inacio, born to a Brazilian father but committed to the country of his birth, keeps his place in the squad. So does fellow 18-year-old Honest Ahanor, currently on loan at Crystal Palace from Chelsea. Both represent the new face of Italy: technically gifted, cosmopolitan, unafraid.
Around them, established senior figures remain crucial. Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori, Inter Milan duo Federico Dimarco and Nicolo Barella, Tottenham midfielder Sandro Tonali and Como striker Moise Kean all feature. This is not a youth team; it is a hybrid, a squad built to compete now while being shaped for tomorrow.
A brutal schedule and an early examination
Italy will gather at Coverciano next Monday for their first training session under Mancini’s renewed leadership. The preparation time is short; the stakes are not.
The Nations League campaign opens at the Stadio Olimpico on September 25 against Belgium, a side still stacked with experience and attacking quality. Three days later, the Azzurri travel to Bursa to face Turkey, a fixture that has grown in edge and significance in recent years.
Then comes the heavyweight test. On October 2, Italy head to Saint-Denis to meet 2026 World Cup semi-finalists France, a match that will instantly measure the credibility of Mancini’s rebuild against one of the game’s most complete squads.
The international window closes on October 5 at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, where Italy host Turkey in the return fixture. By then, the picture will be clearer: are these bold selections the foundation of a revival, or the opening gambles of a long and uncertain rebuild?
Mancini has made his choice. Now the Nations League will reveal whether this new-look Italy can carry the weight of a country that has run out of patience for waiting.
