daniel chigunwe
LONDON. — At the stroke of midnight, Cinderella Italy returned to being a humble girl, losing the status as the strongest national football team in Europe.
The crisis in Italy is clear to see and there are no excuses for the mistakes made in their quest to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar next year. To draw with Switzerland, at home, and against Northern Ireland is a mortal sin that cannot be justified.
Slow and ponderous, Leonardo Bonucci summed up the shortcomings of a team that conquered Europe just a few months ago by beating England at Wembley — becoming the number one team in what was a sacred time for Italian football.
Coach Roberto Mancini has the huge task of finding a solution ahead of the play-offs in March, the team’s last chance saloon of reaching Qatar and reach a World Cup that is of utmost importance for the Azzurri.
To miss out on two consecutive World Cups would be an unprecedented failure in Italy’s history lasting more than 100 years and Mancini would go down as the protagonist of this disaster.
At the moment, Italy is divided between those who are worried about a crisis in the international team and those who have a lot of faith in Mancini and his squad.
In Italy, there is a saying: ‘’Don’t shoot the pianist, he’s doing his best’’. This phrase is appropriate for the situation Mancini finds himself in.
The coach has come in for heavy criticism from supporters but is backed by the Italian football federation because it is very clear that the blame lies with the team and not with him.
If Jorginho had netted the decisive penalty against Switzerland, Mancini would have received all the plaudits, but after he missed that spot-kick, Mancini has become the main culprit of Italy’s disastrous path towards Qatar.
It’s possible Italy were lucky to win Euro 2020 while hiding tactical and technical issues that were never exposed. We will have a better idea about this theory in March after the play-offs.
Four years ago, Mancini pulled off a miracle by changing the mentality of Italian football, giving the team freedom in attack. Now this miracle is over and his magic wand has disappeared.
Italy appeared to have been given new strength but it only highlights Mancini’s great skill in motivating a team without great individual qualities.
History teaches us that there are winning cycles but perhaps Mancini’s cycle has reached its limit already. It seems that many top players have failed miserably to make history.
Mancini’s position after the 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland was clear. He explained: ‘’I told my guys that we can’t do anything now. Let’s focus on the match in March, we’ll prepare well. We’ll go to the World Cup and maybe we’ll win it.’’
Jorginho and Insigne are the biggest disappointment after the result in Belfast. Both players have gone from heroes of the Euro 2020 to failures after Northern Ireland’s sensational upset.
Mancini decided to substitute the pair to give a the team a shock and strengthen a group that froze against the physical Irishmen. — Mailonline
Online Reporter