The great victory againstEngland. The triumph in the house of the fearsome Hungary by Orban. The first place in the group and the final-four of Nations League to be played next June in When. All smoke in the eyes: Italy wins in a tournament that the others who will go in Qatar snub. Nothing has changed since last March, we are still the national team of a movement failed that for the second edition in a row did not even manage to qualify for the World Cup. The new cycle of Roberto Mancini it is painstakingly broken down. He was not taken for granted after the epochal defeat against the North Macedonia. The coach seems to have managed to reset his head and that of the gods soccer playersgiving back a shred of team identity that was completely lost after the Europeans (up to the epilogue of Palermo). Of this he deserves credit. How certainly can not be blamed if i successes of this window have arrived “only” in the marginal Nations League. It was the trophy they had at their disposal right now. The only one, unfortunately. Snobbarlo would have made no sense, and indeed would have been unforgivablethe classic straw that breaks the camel’s back after world fool and probably the tombstone on the Mancini management. Right, therefore, to face it to the maximum of your own possibility.
That said, don’t even twist the reality and celebrate these two victories as if they counted for something. Even here, in reality, the fault is not Mancini who has kept a very low profile (and God forbid) as much as commentators, fans, the usual rhetoric surrounding the national team. But the results against England e Hungary they must be taken for what they count: nothing. Already under normal conditions the Nations League it is a well organized exhibition, a good gimmick of the Uefa from Ceferin to replace the friendlies by creating an attractive product for the tv rights, but with zero sporting value. Let alone now, that all the best national teams (and their stars) have their heads on World: as the results of the other fields show (France beaten in DenmarkSpain at home from SwissGermany from Hungary), this stop served more than anything else to make the last experiments in view of the Qatar and avoid damage. And in this context, Italy has beaten a big distracted and moreover in crisis (Southgate seems to have lost his handEngland) and a small third / fourth team European band. Of course, always better than failing to score a goal SwissNorthern Ireland e Macedoniabut so be it.
Then net of some encouraging signs of compactness tactics and good will, the two positive results nevertheless confirmed all the limits of the Italian national team, which with England certainly did not provide an exciting show, and against Hungary it was saved by Donnarumma. The dramatic absence of a center forward worthy of the name, some disaffection on the part of some players, holes in key roles and a widespread lack of talent. The problems are always the same and Serie A, which should be the basin of the national team, continues to provide no answer. The only contribution that this start of the championship was able to bring was Pasquale Mazzocchi: a 27-year-old full-back, also a beautiful human and football history but certainly not the turning point that will change the fortunes of the team. For the rest, almost nothing is seen even on the horizon, and the same Raspadori, to which Italy has clung and has even entrusted the glorious number 10, is even more a creature of the coach, who has called up all that can be called up in recent months, than of the championship (where he plays in pieces with the Napoli shirt) . The acute phase of the crisis may have passed, but the chronic one is still all there. For forget reality will not be enough a couple of wins in games that are little more than friendly. The World Cup will remind us instead, to watch how spectators.
