Roberto Mancini finds positives in Italy loss, accepts fans’ jeers

ROME – Roberto Mancini accepted boos from Italy fans as a normal part of the game but insisted there were positives to take from a 2-0 defeat by Belgium on his return as coach.

The Euro 2020 winner returned to the Azzurri for a second spell this summer, three years after controversially leaving the role to take a lucrative role as Saudi Arabia coach.

Tasked with overseeing a turnaround in fortunes for the four-time world champions after a third consecutive failed World Cup qualification campaign, Mancini’s side got off to a bad start on Sept 25 as they were booed off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome after losing their Nations League opener.

Speaking at a post-match press conference, it was put to Mancini that the task of winning back the fans could be like scaling Everest.

“It will be even better in the end, when you reach the top,” he said. “This is quite normal, you lose and the fans are disappointed and angry, that is part of the game.”

Goals from Mika Godts and Dodi Lukebakio either side of half-time gave the Belgians a deserved win to kick off Mark van Bommel’s coaching reign in style.

Italy were outplayed in spells and had goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to thank for keeping them in the game in the first half, but Mancini saw things to build on ahead of two games against Turkey and a trip to France during the international break.

“We can pick up from the 25 minutes of the second half when we were very aggressive, recovering all the second balls, we didn’t concede anything at all,” Mancini said.

“This was a positive thing for me. We have to try to lose fewer balls, which is what we did in the first half, have a little more possession, with calmness and not forcing situations when there is no space.”

‘Have to let it go’

Asked if the memory of a World Cup play-off defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in March is still hanging over his players, Mancini said: “It’s certainly something that weighs on us a little, but we have to let it go.”

“We can certainly improve things, think about the positives, not always think about what has been. We can’t do anything about what has happened in the past.”

Former Netherlands midfielder van Bommel was delighted with what he saw from his players as he made his debut in international coaching.

“I’m 100 per cent happy and satisfied, but I understand there’s always room for improvement,” he said.

“We can still improve, but we started Monday with the desire and intensity we saw today. We have been working on this system for three days; it wasn’t a top performance, but the desire, intensity, and control we had in the first half were excellent. We didn’t concede anything.

“In the second half, we couldn’t press well, even though we were well-positioned and kept our shape. (Senne) Lammens then made an incredible save. With the substitutions, we regained control of the game, and Lukebakio’s amazing goal sealed the victory.” AFP