Mancini: Italy among the top 10 teams in the world

Roberto Mancini, the new head coach of the Italy national team, has confirmed that the Azzurri are still among the strongest teams in the world, emphasizing the need to achieve results while giving opportunities to young players.

Roberto Mancini stated in remarks to Sky Sport: "I believe that despite everything, Italy is among the top 10 national teams in the world, and we can also rise in the rankings and achieve something very positive."

He added: "We must introduce young players, but we also need to achieve results. We are Italy and we want to do important things. When Italy reaches the final stages of the European Championship or the World Cup, they become dangerous for everyone even if they are not among the top contenders."

The coach spoke about the needs of the national team, clarifying: "We are quite comfortable regarding goalkeeping and defense, while we need to work more on the midfield and attack. We have a striker like Pietro Esposito, who is a key player for Inter, as well as Moise Kean. There are players, and they should be given confidence and allowed to make mistakes at first, then they will learn quickly."

Roberto Mancini has indicated that the preliminary squad for the national team will include 50 to 60 players, emphasizing his main idea is to play in a 4-3-3 formation, with the possibility of changing it according to the available players. He also praised the presence of several Italian players in the Premier League, including Riccardo Calafiori, Michael Kayode, Sandro Tonali, and Palestra.