Rome (AFP)
Italy coach Roberto Mancini called on his compatriots to raise their heads following the failure of “Squadra Azzurra” to qualify for the second time in a row for the World Cup finals, without directly talking regarding his future.
In a social media post with a photo of him, he wrote: “Let’s take the time to think and understand clearly. The only thing that can be done is to raise heads and work for the future.”
He added: Last summer, we were at the top of Europe following completing one of the most beautiful journeys in the history of the national team. A few hours ago we woke up in one of the worst situations.
Mancini considered that the sudden loss of the European Cup holder once morest North Macedonia, in the last moments of the European play-off semi-final Thursday, “is difficult to accept, but accepting losses is part of human sporting growth.”
Mancini, 57, was asked Thursday in Palermo if he would continue his duties, but he answered briefly: “We’ll see.”
Follow the coach who has a contract with the Italian Federation until 2026: I feel responsible, when we lose, the coach is the first responsible.
Mancini developed the Italian team’s performance following the disappointment of the failure to qualify for the Russian World Cup, so he built a squad that won the continental title focused on possession and offensive pressure, but he suffered a series of disappointments in the Qatar World Cup qualifiers that put him once more outside the global wedding scheduled for the end of the year.