Roberto Mancini celebrated by Bruno Vespa during “Porta a Porta”: is his moment of glory already over?
What will be Italy's opponents in the playoffs?
Mancini's Italy will meet their opponents for the play-offs on Friday 26 November, following the draw that will begin at 17.00. The 12 participating teams will be divided into 3 groups of 4, with 6 seeded and 6 unseeded. The Azzurri are seeded together with the Portugal by Cristiano Ronaldo (the most feared opponent), Russia, Scotland, Wales and the Sweden that arouses negative memories especially to the most superstitious: it was the Scandinavians who eliminated the Azzurri in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Among the unseeded are, however, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, Macedonia, Austria and the Czech Republic.
Each group includes two seeded and two unseeded, and there will be two games: semifinal and final, both dry, there is no return formula.
A seeded player will face a non-seeded one in the semifinals, and will face the winner of the other group match in the final. Only one team will pass per group and therefore the coach Roberto Mancini really plays everything.
From dream to nightmare: the cruel fate of the coach
Last June, when the national football team presented the formal uniforms designed by Giorgio Armani, the more mature aficionados jumped in their chair. King George she opted for a light blue-white jacket with mandarin collar, in light cotton seersucker with creased effect, and soft black trousers, with an explicit homage to those worn by Enzo Bearzot and by his staff in the winning expedition at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
That parallel with the mythical "Vecio"
At the time no one knew that Mancini's Azzurri would also culminate with a historic triumph, while after the victory over England the parallel between Mancio and the late Bearzot it really came naturally, due to the importance of the company that went far beyond the sporting perimeter. Who knows what effect it had on Mancini to be compared to his old teacher, from whom he received a rather important lesson.
The tear of New York
Hugely talented player, the former Sampdoria striker had the only real blemish of his career in his lack of luck in the national team. At Italia '90 it was only the sixth choice of Azeglio Vicini, overtaken not only by the twin Luca Vialli and from Andrea Carnevale, but then also from Totò Schillaci, Roby Baggio and Aldo Serena. Before that, his affirmation was cut short by a levity committed during the tour of the reigning world champion team in New York, in 1984. Mancini, then only 19, was called up by Bearzot to rejuvenate the squad. mundiales, but he thought it best to escape from the retreat for a night trip to the mythical Study 54. Returning to the hotel at 6.00 in the morning, the young talent was confronted by the coach, who gave him the "donkey" and practically puts a cross on him. A very severe reaction, but which Mancini then perfectly internalized: "With one of my players I would behave exactly the same way".
In the footsteps of the master
While shining with Vicini's Under 21 team and following their path in the senior national team, Mancini has never managed to find the right way and shine in the blue shirt as he did with the blue shirt of Sampdoria and the biancoceleste of Lazio. Also for this reason, his historic feat at Euro 2021 has allowed him to close the circle, both in the embrace with his blood brother Vialli (also in memory of the Champions '92 final, lost against Barcelona at Wembley), both following in the footsteps of his old coach. But now that parallel is likely to play against him.
Is the cycle already over?
After the triumph in Spain, the national team of Bearzot failed to qualify for the 1984 European Championships, even finishing second to last in the qualifying round. Also for that reason the coach had tried to revive the team with the inclusion of Mancini and other young talents, but at the next World Cup in Mexico 1986 the group was physically and mentally tired, closing their cycle in a not exactly brilliant way. After the triumph of Euro 2021, the world record of 37 consecutive useful results and the third place in the Nations League, has the cycle of Mancini's team also come to an end? This is the doubt that hangs over the heads of the European champions, forced to compete for access to the 2022 World Cup in the playoffs without appeal: between another historic feat and a sensational disappointment, after the flop of Gianpiero Ventura in 2018, the border is really very thin.
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