Roberto Mancini confirmed Federico Chiesa will start against Portugal, but shrugged off criticism. “The Italy we want to see doesn’t exist yet.”
It kicks off on Monday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT) in Lisbon and is the second Azzurri match of the Nations League after Friday’s 1-1 draw with Poland.
“Everyone can view things the way they want, but I am not particularly worried by criticism,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
Roberto Mancini confirmed Federico Chiesa will start against Portugal, but shrugged off criticism. “The Italy we want to see doesn’t exist yet.”
It kicks off on Monday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT) in Lisbon and is the second Azzurri match of the Nations League after Friday’s 1-1 draw with Poland.
“Everyone can view things the way they want, but I am not particularly worried by criticism,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
“I am aware that there are errors in a game, but also what we can do about them and how to work on the good elements too. There’s no need to worry.”
There are several options for changes, as either Ciro Immobile or Andrea Belotti should step in for injured Mario Balotelli.
The fact that Mancini attended the Press conference with Immobile by his side may well be a clue.
“I don’t know who will play tomorrow, as I’ll think it over tonight. We will change a few players, as there have only been a few days and a journey between matches, so we’re not in peak condition.
“Balotelli may well have not played well, but not being able to give 100 per cent in a game happens to everyone. This was the first competitive match of the season, there will be many more.
“We’ll find the right formula for this Italy side, we just need a little patience, but the Italy we want to see doesn’t exist yet. We hope to form it soon.
“I can confirm Federico Chiesa will start and so will Gianluigi Donnarumma.”
Question marks were raised when Inter midfielder Roberto Gagliardini was picked in the starting XI, but it looks as if he might retain his place against Portugal.
“I think he’s a very good player with a lot of qualities,” insisted Mancini. “He can improve and get back to being the player he was at the start of his Inter career.
“The system doesn’t really matter than much whether there are three or four in midfield. What makes a difference is the attitude on the pitch.
“I am not as negative as many of you who wrote about the Poland game. I am fairly positive and honest too, as if we had been completely awful then I would’ve said so. There were errors, that’s normal, as we are trying to be more attacking. It’ll take a while.
“It’s difficult to do like many years ago and allow practically no chances to the opposition, but we do need to score more than one goal per game. In the long-run, that is the objective, even if it means conceding a few more.”
Jorginho struggled in the first half and complained he was being systematically man-marked by Poland.
“They did mark him closely in the first half, but then he did very well after the break. It’s only natural that when a player is the central engine behind the play, opponents will pay special attention to him.
“What went wrong in the first half was the number of misplaced passes. Considering the quality of our players, that shouldn’t happen. When we attack, we also need more players in the penalty area.”
Portugal are without their most influential player, as Cristiano Ronaldo pulled out of international duty to focus on training with new club Juventus.
“They are nonetheless the squad that won Euro 2016. They’re stronger with Ronaldo, but it’s only normal they’d experiment what it’s like to play without him.
“We watched their (1-1 friendly) draw with Croatia. They might not have Ronaldo, but there’s Bruma, who I worked with at Galatasaray and is very dangerous on the counter. There are technically gifted players and I don’t think this changes much about their philosophy.”