Roberto Mancini's Bold Return to Italy: Aiming for Success

Roberto Mancini is back in charge of Italy, and he is not easing himself in.

According to leaked details reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, the returning head coach is preparing to name an oversized squad of up to 35 players for the upcoming international window, a clear signal that his second spell with the Azzurri will start at full throttle rather than a gentle reset.

More than eight years after his initial appointment in May 2018, Mancini walks back into a very different landscape. The calendar is brutal: four Nations League matches crammed into 11 days. Italy host Belgium in Rome on 25 September, travel to Turkey and France, then return home to face Turkey again in Bologna. Fatigue, injuries, and form will all be in play. Hence the numbers.

Big squad, bigger stakes

This is not a vanity list. It is a survival plan.

The Nations League campaign matters. Italy are chasing a top-two finish in Group A to reach the quarter-finals, and those results will feed directly into seeding for the Euro 2028 qualification draw in Belfast. Every selection choice carries weight beyond this month.

Mancini’s response is to cast the net wide. The provisional picture includes a mix of familiar champions, returning names and raw, untested talent. The core from the Euro 2020 triumph remains at the heart of his thinking: Nicolò Barella, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Bryan Cristante and Alessandro Bastoni are all expected to form the spine of the side. Their presence offers continuity, a reminder of what this group has already achieved in blue.

There is also room, potentially, for a few ghosts from that era. Federico Bernardeschi, a key figure during Euro 2020, and midfielder Rolando Mandragora are under consideration for surprise recalls, emblematic of Mancini’s willingness to revisit old solutions while he builds new ones.

New faces on the horizon

The real intrigue lies in the uncapped names.

Romano, Zoma and Samuel Inacio are among the standout potential debutants. They are not yet fixtures in the Italian football conversation, but this window could change that. Midfielder Romano has forced his way into contention on the back of strong recent form, helped by the lack of depth in central midfield. When options thin out, opportunity opens.

Up front, the search for width and unpredictability points toward German-based forward Zoma, who is tipped to add a different dimension to an attacking department still looking for balance. Samuel Inacio joins that group of prospects hoping to catch the eye in training and exploit the heavy rotation that such a schedule demands.

In goal, Bologna’s Pessina could be rewarded with a first senior call, stepping into a competitive but clearly defined hierarchy behind Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marco Carnesecchi and Guglielmo Vicario. If the fixtures pile up as expected, all four may be needed.

Doumbia and Ahanor are also in the frame, further underlining how aggressively Mancini is prepared to expand his pool in the short term.

Injuries and compromises

The boldness of the selection is also born of necessity. Several key players are unavailable.

Federico Chiesa, Nicolò Zaniolo, Manuel Locatelli and Alessandro Buongiorno are all ruled out through injury, stripping the squad of proven quality and personality. Their absence forces tactical adjustments and accelerates the integration of new faces.

Mateo Retegui, currently on holiday in Argentina, remains a wild card. He is not part of the immediate group but could still be drafted in if required. In a congested window like this, no door is fully closed.

Yet Mancini has drawn one clear line. He will not gut the Under-21 side to fuel his rebuild. A total revolution has been postponed to protect the work being done at youth level. Talents such as Cher Ndour, Niccolo Pisilli and Luca Koleosho will stay under Bernardo Baldini’s command for crucial European qualifiers, a decision that balances short-term needs with long-term planning.

Rotation as a weapon

With four high-intensity matches in less than a fortnight, squad rotation will not just be an option; it will be a weapon.

Mancini’s expanded list gives him the freedom to change line-ups dramatically from game to game, manage minutes for his Euro 2020 core, and test whether the likes of Romano, Zoma, Samuel Inacio and Pessina can handle the demands of international football on the fly.

Italy enter this window with old champions, new hopefuls and a coach who knows exactly how unforgiving this level can be. The question now is not whether Mancini will reshape the Azzurri, but how quickly this enlarged, experimental group can turn raw opportunity into results that shape their path to Euro 2028.