Roberto Mancini Names Bold Squad for UEFA Nations League

Roberto Mancini has wasted no time in stamping his mark on Italy – again.

Back in the Azzurri dugout after Gennaro Gattuso’s brief and bruising spell, the 61-year-old has named a bold 34-man squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign, his first major act since being re-appointed at the end of July.

Italy, still reeling from the embarrassment of missing a third straight World Cup, now turn to a familiar face with a very different-looking team.

Only a handful of Euro 2020 heroes survive

The squad list underlines just how much the landscape has shifted since that famous night at Wembley.

Only six players from Mancini’s Euro 2020-winning group remain: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alessandro Bastoni, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Nicolo Barella, Bryan Cristante and Giacomo Raspadori. The old core has been stripped back; the message is clear. Reputation alone no longer guarantees a place.

This reset comes with serious stakes. Mancini’s second tenure opens with four League A Group 1 fixtures across the September–October international window against Belgium, France and a double-header with Turkey.

Big names cut as injury and form bite

Some of the omissions will sting.

Chelsea’s Marco Palestra, recently sidelined by injury, has been left out despite making his international debut as recently as March and earning two caps. Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie, who has not featured for Italy since June 2025, is also missing. So is Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa, called up earlier this year but without a single Azzurri appearance since Euro 2024.

They are not alone. Juventus trio Manuel Locatelli, Federico Gatti and Andrea Cambiaso, Napoli pair Leonardo Spinazzola and Alessandro Buongiorno, and Al-Qadsiah striker Mateo Retegui are all notable absentees as Mancini clears space for a new generation.

Nine new faces as Mancini refreshes the squad

In their place comes a wave of debutants.

Nine players receive their first call-up, headlined by Brentford right-back Michael Kayode and 18-year-old Bologna goalkeeper Massimo Pessina. Both step into the senior setup at a time when competition for places is fierce and the margin for error is thin.

They are joined by Roma defender Daniele Ghilardi, Monza’s Eddy Kouadio, Cagliari’s Alessandro Romano, Sporting Lisbon’s Issa Doumbia, Sassuolo forward Sebastiano Esposito, Napoli midfielder Antonio Vergara and Nurnberg’s Mohamed Ali Zoma. For each of them, Coverciano now becomes the stage on which they must prove they belong.

The shake-up does not stop there. Borussia Dortmund forward Samuele Inacio, born to a Brazilian father but committed to Italy, keeps his place in the squad. So does fellow 18-year-old Honest Ahanor, currently on loan at Crystal Palace from Chelsea, underlining Mancini’s willingness to trust youth in key attacking roles.

Senior spine still in place

Amid all the change, there is still a recognisable backbone.

Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori, Inter’s Federico Dimarco and Nicolo Barella, Tottenham midfielder Sandro Tonali and Como striker Moise Kean are all included, offering experience and quality around the new arrivals. Donnarumma remains the undisputed No 1, while Bastoni and Di Lorenzo continue as defensive pillars.

It is not a complete revolution, but the balance has shifted. Mancini is clearly building a squad with an eye on the next cycle rather than the scars of the last one.

A demanding Nations League schedule

Italy will assemble at Coverciano next Monday for their first training session under Mancini 2.0, before the intensity ramps up quickly.

The Nations League campaign opens at home to Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico on September 25, a fixture that should immediately test the new-look side’s resilience and chemistry.

Three days later comes a trip to Bursa to face Turkey, the first of two meetings with Vincenzo Montella’s team. Then, on October 2, Italy head to Saint-Denis to take on 2026 World Cup semi-finalists France in what could be the sternest examination of this reshaped squad.

The international break closes on October 5 at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, where Italy host Turkey in the return fixture. By then, it will be clearer whether Mancini’s gamble on youth and renewal has given the Azzurri a fresh start – or simply raised even more questions about the road ahead.