Italy head coach Roberto Mancini expressed his optimism for World Cup qualification as he called on his Euro 2020-winning side to prove the doubters wrong again.
The Azzurri failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup but followed that up by winning the delayed European Championships last year.
Italy is now staring at a familiar fate after not progressing through their World Cup qualifying group, leaving them having to beat North Macedonia in Thursday’s play-off semi-final to keep their Qatar 2022 hopes alive.
Roberto Mancini told reporters at a news conference on Monday:
“We should not take the first game for granted. It won’t be easy and, in case we win, we’ll have four days to prepare for the final.
“We have built a solid base, we are optimistic, and we must think that everything will go well. However, we have two challenging games ahead. We were not supposed to be here, but it happens to struggle sometimes.
“And We must continue playing as we’ve always done. We didn’t reach our targets by coincidence. Of course, we didn’t want to play these games, but the lads are feeling well, and that’s important.
“I am optimistic because I have players who won the Euros starting from nothing when nobody believed in it. We must think about what we did to have more self-confidence. The team is solid and of quality.
“Our target is to win the World Cup and to do it. We must win the next two games. We want to go to the World Cup to win it.”
“I am not worried. Insigne and Barella have always done well with the national team,” Mancini said when asked about the pair’s form with Napoli and Inter, respectively.
“Of course, there are highs and lows during a season. [Giorgio] Chiellini is feeling quite well, and it’s good that he played a little.
“He probably won’t play two games, but we’ll talk and decide together. He knows his condition, and he will tell me if he can play two games in five days.
Pressed whether Donnarumma’s form was concerning, Mancini responded: “Absolutely not. It’s better to have him with us than against.”
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