Oriali Sounds Alarm for Italy’s Difficult Spell and Blasts Juventus Ultras

Roberto Mancini is back on the Italy bench. Gabriele Oriali is back at his side. The reunion, though, comes with a warning.

As the Azzurri gathered at Coverciano to open their Nations League camp, Oriali cut through any sense of nostalgia. Belgium await on Friday, with trips to Turkiye on September 28 and France on October 2. Then come the return fixtures: Vincenzo Montella’s Turkiye in Italy on October 5, France on November 12 and Belgium on November 15.

A glamorous schedule. A harsh reality.

“It is certainly not the best moment for Italian football, we know that we are heading into a difficult spell,” Oriali told Rai 2, setting the tone for this new chapter.

The message to the squad was blunt. No hiding, no excuses.

“The lads need to recognise that too. The important thing is for everyone to understand the moment, share it, have collective responsibility, respect and a little discipline, all of which never hurts.

“It is by finding that team spirit, that group togetherness, that we can then achieve results.”

So this is Italy’s reboot: less about tactical reinvention, more about rebuilding a culture. Mancini and Oriali, who steered the Azzurri to the heights of Euro 2020, now return to a landscape marked by uncertainty, criticism and a domestic game under strain.

And just as Oriali called for unity, Italian football served up an image of the exact opposite.

‘Ugly image’: Oriali furious over Juventus ultras’ Mazzola protest

Over the weekend, at San Siro, Serie A paused to remember Sandro Mazzola. A giant of Inter, a legend of Italy, a symbol of another era. A tribute to him lit up the LED screen before Milan’s match against Lecce at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

Yet while most of the stadium stood in silence, a section of Juventus ultras turned their backs on the pitch during the minute’s silence. The gesture cut deep.

Togetherness, Oriali had said, is what Italy needs. The scene in the stands showed how far away that still feels.

“I remember the first training sessions at the Pinetina, Mazzola was one of those who welcomed me with open arms,” Oriali recalled, speaking with the warmth of a former teammate.

“He gave me a lift home one day after training, people couldn’t believe it when they saw him. I have only fond memories of him as a teammate and a person, without forgetting he was also a great director who brought Ronaldo to Serie A.”

Those memories clashed violently with what he saw from the ultras.

“The ultras turning their backs was an ugly image. I hope that these people can be identified and left out of the stadium, it’s shameful. There are champions who go beyond the jerseys they wear, and this was just a deplorable gesture.”

In a week when Italy’s new-old leadership talks about responsibility, respect and a shared cause, Oriali’s words land with extra weight. The national team is bracing for a demanding Nations League run. The question now is whether the country around it is ready to match the standards its own legends are still trying to defend.