In the context of managing the group of players who have been assembled for Italy's four matches in the Nations League in this window of late September and early October, Roberto Mancini has deemed it unnecessary to take the entire group of 33 players with him to Turkey - for the second match to be played on Monday evening, after the defeat on debut in Rome against Belgium. Given that he has already decided to make a wide rotation - that is the essence of the matter - it makes no sense to subject players who will not play a single minute to the travel and the corresponding fatigue, sending them to the stands to watch the match.
Mancini leaves 10 Italy players home against Turkey
This is clearly stated in the statement with which the FIGC announces the list of those who will remain in Italy. “The representative is leaving for Bursa, where tomorrow evening (20:45 our time) at the Ataturk Spor Complex they will face Turkey in the second match of the Nations League group – begins the federation’s statement, which then explains
The reason for the decision – With the aim of better managing the preparation for the scheduled matches with France in Paris and again against the Turkish national team in Bologna, as well as not subjecting the entire group to a tiring transfer to Turkey, coach Roberto Mancini has decided to organize a specific training program at the Federal Technical Center of Coverciano for 10 players, whose list follows.
These are "Honest Ahanor, Nicolò Barella, Diego Coppola, Samuele Inacio, Eddy Kouadio, Daniel Maldini, Gianluca Mancini, Massimo Pessina, Samuele Ricci and Mohamed Alì Zoma", to whom "part of the technical and performance staff (Massimo Maccarone, Cristiano Lupatelli, Giulio Nuciari and Luca Bossi) will be made available, as well as the medical-physiotherapeutic staff".
In addition to these 10 players, sent virtually to the stands, 23 other players will leave with Mancini for Bursa (Zaniolo had already returned home due to the worsening of his previous right thigh injury).
List of players who will be available against Turkey
Goalkeepers (3): Marco Carnesecchi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Guglielmo Vicario
Defenders (7): Alessandro Bastoni, Riccardo Calafiori, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Federico Dimarco, Daniele Ghilardi, Michael Kayode, Giorgio Scalvini
Midfielders (6): Issa Doumbia, Nicolò Fagioli, Davide Frattesi, Rolando Mandragora, Alessandro Romano, Sandro Tonali
Forwards (7): Nicolò Cambiaghi, Francesco Pio Esposito, Sebastiano Esposito, Moise Kean, Giacomo Raspadori, Gianluca Scamacca, Antonio Vergara
UEFA Nations League
League A: Group 1
20:45 Belgium - France
20:45 Turkey - Italy
League B: Group 2
18:00 Georgia - Ukraine
20:45 Northern Ireland - Hungary
League B: Group 4
20:45 Romania - Bosnia and Herzegovina
20:45 Sweden-Poland
League C: Group 2
18:00 Armenia - Montenegro
18:00 Latvia - Cyprus
