“We are Italy, the pressure is normal. 1958? I know the story”
BELFAST (United Kingdom) – “Bad thoughts? Bad thoughts are about serious things. It’s a football match, albeit an important one. We will see what happens, we will have to play our game, try to have a good match and win, even if it will not be easy because they defend many and have given little to the teams that came here.“. On the eve of the delicate match in Belfast against Northern Ireland, essential for qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar 2022, the coach of the Italian national team Roberto Mancini spoke at the press conference.
Mancini: “Italy must not forget what they did”
“Everything the team has been doing for three years was unthinkable, no one believed it. We also know that during a journey there are more difficult moments, it had not yet happened to us and tomorrow is a delicate moment, but they are guys who must not forget what they have done and play with complete peace of mind. We only had anxiety with Switzerland after their goal. But this is the last game, it’s not like we have to do a lot of thoughts and words“.
Mancini: “I know the history of 1958”
“We don’t think about the repair exams in March now. I know the story of 1958, but I did not go to look at it, I hope there is no need to go back so far. We have to beat a team that does not lose and does not concede a goal at home. We must not have bad thoughts. We are Italy, we are used to pressure“.
Mancini: “Scamacca is the only weight striker”
“We will not use high balls, no, we will try to play at speed, ball on the ground. It is not the type of attacking players that matters, but the way in which we will move on the pitch. The only very physical striker we have here is only Scamacca, we have to be fast and play low. It will not be easy to play against the Northern Irish, who defend in many and well“.
Mancini: “So many goals? Let’s think about winning”
“In the national team there is always pressure, tomorrow there will perhaps be a little more but we must try to stay focused on what to do. It is not a question of scoring many goals but of playing the game. If they haven’t conceded a goal at home, that means something. It’s a tough match. If we manage to score more than one goal we will have a better chance of winning“, concluded the coach at a press conference.
Mancini on Barella and Tonali
“Against Switzerland we have brought back some anxiety: against Northern Ireland there will be pressure but we must assume the anxiety. Stretcher is recovered, he is even better off than he was with Switzerland. Tonali? He has grown a lot, could play from the start. The attacker? It doesn’t matter if he plays a fake or a true nine: mentality matters“, Mancini’s words to Rai Sport’s microphones.