Only One Lazio Player Selected as Mancini Releases His First Italy Squad | OneFootball

Italy head coach Roberto Mancini unveiled his 34-man Italy squad for the upcoming international, with only Davide Frattesi representing Lazio.

Roberto Mancini Returns to Old Italy Post

The former Manchester City and Inter Milan manager returned for a second stint with the Azzurri after a mixed first tenure between 2018 and 2023 that witnessed a triumphant Euro 2020 campaign followed by a failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Italy’s fortunes didn’t improve under his successors, Luciano Spalletti and Gennaro Gattuso, who also failed to steer the national team back to the World Cup. The latter resigned following a play-off defeat to Bosnia in March, and was then appointed Lazio head coach in June.

Roberto Mancini (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

Gattuso’s departure was followed by a whirlwind involving new FIGC president Giovanni Malagò and Paolo Maldini, who briefly resigned from his post as the national team’s technical director. The AC Milan icon was replaced by Claudio Ranieri, with Mancini returning to his previous post.

Mattia Zaccagni Misses Out on Azzurri Call-up

On Friday, the 61-year-old released the first squad of his second Italy spell, and it included nine new names. Mancini opted to leave out some of the more experienced names, including Lazio captain Mattia Zaccagni, who was overlooked despite regaining his form in recent weeks.

Davide Frattesi to Represent Lazio in Italy Squad

The Biancocelesti’s only representative will be Davide Frattesi, who is now considered a stalwart for the national team. The 26-year-old often featured as a starter under Spalletti and Gattuso, even when he was struggling for playing time at Inter Milan. The midfielder swiftly established himself as a key player for Lazio following his summer move, and he currently leads the club’s scoring charts with three goals.

Italy’s Nations League Opponents

Italy will begin their UEFA Nations League campaign by hosting Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico next Friday. Afterwards, they will play twice against Vincenzo Montella’s Turkiye and will be hosted by Zinedine Zidane’s France.

Full Italy Squad

Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Massimo Pessina (Bologna), Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus);

Defenders: Honest Ahanor (Crystal Palace), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Diego Coppola (Paris FC), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Daniele Ghilardi (Roma), Michael Kayode (Brentford), Eddy Kouadio (Monza), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta);

Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Issa Doumbia (Sporting CP), Nicolò Fagioli (Fiorentina), Davide Frattesi (Lazio), Rolando Mandragora (Torino), Alessandro Romano (Cagliari), Sandro Tonali (Tottenham);

Forwards: Nicolò Cambiaghi (Bologna), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Sebastiano Esposito (Sassuolo), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Moise Kean (Como), Daniel Maldini (Cagliari), Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Antonio Vergara (Napoli), Nicolò Zaniolo (Udinese), Mohamed Alì Zoma (Nürnberg).