Roberto Mancini's Bold New Era for Italy

Roberto Mancini has wasted no time announcing that his second spell in charge of Italy will look very different to the first.

Barely weeks after returning to the Azzurri bench on a contract running to 2030, the coach has named a bold 34-man squad for the upcoming Nations League campaign, packed with debutants, recalls and one or two ruthless omissions. The new era starts under the lights at the Stadio Olimpico against Belgium on Friday, September 25. By the end of a frantic two weeks, Italy will have faced Türkiye twice, squeezed in a trip to France and measured themselves against Belgium’s latest generation.

This is not a gentle reintroduction. It’s a stress test.

Nine new faces, clear message

The headline is stark: nine maiden call-ups. Mancini has ripped up the comfort blanket of familiarity and thrown the door open to a new wave.

In goal, Bologna’s Massimo Pessina gets his first taste of the senior setup. At the back, Roma defender Daniele Ghilardi and Brentford full-back Michael Kayode are rewarded for their club form, both offering energy and aggression in wide areas that have too often looked static.

They are not alone. Monza defender Eddy Kouadio joins the defensive pool, while Cagliari midfielder Alessandro Romano steps into a crowded but evolving engine room. From abroad comes Sporting CP’s Issa Doumbia, another sign that Mancini is happy to scout beyond Serie A if it means adding power and personality.

Up front, the refresh is even more pointed. Sassuolo striker Sebastiano Esposito, Napoli forward Antonio Vergara and Nurnberg’s Mohamed Ali Zoma all receive their first call. Three different profiles, one clear intention: Italy must carry more threat, more variety, more goals.

The message is unmistakable. Reputation counts, but form and potential count more.

Core trust, with a twist

Mancini has not torn everything up. Some of the pillars from recent friendlies remain in place, a spine he clearly believes can bridge old and new.

Crystal Palace defender Honest Ahanor keeps his spot after impressing in earlier outings, as does Borussia Dortmund forward Samuele Inacio, whose mobility and work rate have caught the eye. They represent the continuity thread in a squad otherwise buzzing with change.

Around them, the group feels younger, hungrier, and far less predictable. Training at Coverciano from Monday, September 21, will be intense. Places in the starting XI are suddenly there to be won, not protected.

Big-name returns and a surprise blast from the past

If the debutants provide the spark, the recalls bring intrigue.

Nicolò Fagioli (Fiorentina) and Nicolò Zaniolo (Udinese) are both back in the fold after long absences from the national team, neither having featured since October 2024. Both arrive with something to prove, both capable of changing a game in a moment when fully tuned in.

Then there is Rolando Mandragora. The Torino midfielder has not worn the Azzurri shirt since March 2021, yet Mancini has turned to him again. It is a left-field decision on paper, but one that hints at a desire for balance and tactical discipline in a squad otherwise leaning heavily into youth and flair.

One notable name is missing. As expected, Chelsea defender Marco Palestra has been left out. His ongoing injury and lack of minutes this season made inclusion impossible, and Mancini has chosen not to wait.

A brutal schedule to shape a new Italy

The calendar offers no breathing room. After the first training session at Coverciano on September 21, Italy open at home to Belgium in Rome. It is a fixture that rarely drifts by quietly, and this time it doubles as a launchpad for Mancini’s rebuild.

From there, the pace only quickens. The Azzurri travel to face Vincenzo Montella’s Türkiye on September 28, a meeting layered with familiarity and tactical subplots. Then comes a marquee test: a trip to face Zinedine Zidane’s France on Friday, October 2, a night that will expose any cracks and confirm who can handle the highest level.

The window closes back on home soil, with Türkiye visiting the Stadio Dall’Ara in Bologna on October 5. By then, the noise around this squad will be deafening, one way or another.

Mancini has laid down his marker with this list: bold selections, hard calls, no half-measures. Now the question hangs over Coverciano and beyond—can this reshaped Italy turn promise on paper into a team that scares Europe again?