Mancini returns to lead Italy: the aim is to play well and get a result against Belgium in the Nations League

Italy returns, and bears the signature of Mancini bis and his philosophy: "We must play well and get results: this is the only medicine to bring the people with us". Hoping for a bit of blue are the fans who will be at the Olimpico tomorrow or in front of the TV, for the first Nations League match against De Bruyne's Belgium, and the coach who, after winning the European Championship and fleeing to Arabia, has rediscovered "his greatest love".

Behind them, all of Italian football, from the new FIGC president Giovanni Malago' down, cheering for a string of performances and - possibly - results that open the horizon to hope and chase away the clouds, after the global disaster in Bosnia. The unknowns, beyond the coach's optimism, are mainly technical even before being 'political', in the years of talent shortage. "It's been a very tough few days since Zenica, but the pain is still alive and we don't want to reopen the discussion: we're looking ahead to building a great Italy", says the captain, Gigi Donnarumma. The series of four matches that await a national team with some strong points and many young players is not the simplest way to recover: tomorrow Van Bommel's Belgium - also in his first as coach, but with some talent and many more certainties - then a double match with Turkey starting from the hot away match in Bursa; and finally the France of new coach Zidane.

"But we, as the European Championship won in 2021 teaches, want to be dominant and impose the game", assures Donnarumma. Mancini recognizes that tomorrow's opponent "is strong", speaks of a week "full of emotion" for his return to Coverciano, and as for his choices, he only admits that he has "almost made the lineup, with a couple of roles to be defined". Certainly, given the context, he won't be able to do too many experiments. In attack, Pio Esposito plays for a shirt with Kean, the favourite; According to the coach's words, Zaniolo remains 'technical' in his heart; and among the new players the one destined to make his debut seems to be the Cagliari midfielder, Romano. “It made an impression on me too,” says Donnarumma.

"I'm happy to have him with us - counters Mancini, trying to defend the Italian-Swiss from too many expectations - he will be important for the future of the national team. Young people can make mistakes, they need to be helped, without giving them too much responsibility. The boys improve by making mistakes, but in Italy there are good young people". Mancini bases his optimism on this: "We hope to get to the final for first and second place in the Nations League, but it won't be easy because the group is strong - he recalls - The objective is to try to play well straight away, it won't be easy because we've just had two real training sessions, but we know that national teams are like that, you don't have much time".

Federal president Malago also knows this, and yesterday said he had put "cheerful pressure" on the players, reminding them that Italy is "looking at them more than ever" but also saying he is certain that the 'political' difficulties will not have an impact on the pitch. Once the Nations League parenthesis is over, Italian football will in fact play another match. CONI will be called, on the basis of legal opinions that are about to be delivered, to evaluate whether to place the FIGC under commissionership for Malago's failure to register. The federal president has always declared himself calm on the subject, but "under attack" and "victim" of the affair, and not guilty. But even in the hypothesis of a light commissioner, which immediately convenes a new assembly to remedy the formal flaw, it would not be a painless transition. Tomorrow's federal council does not have the topic on the agenda, just as - sources from Palazzo Chigi assure - it would not have been discussed in the visit of the Inter president and federal councilor, Beppe Marotta, to the undersecretary of the presidency of the Council, Alfredo Mantovano: the League of A through Simonelli has already reiterated its support for the FIGC president, who expects other similar declarations. The national team has suspended everything, but not behind the scenes. On stage, there is a great desire for blue.