Roberto Mancini's Second Era with Italy: Squad Selection for Nations League

Roberto Mancini is back in charge of Italy and, if the early leaks are right, he’s wasting no time making a statement.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the returning head coach is set to call up as many as 35 players for the upcoming international window, a supersized group tailored to a brutal run of four Nations League games in just 11 days. Eight years on from his first appointment in May 2018, Mancini’s second era with the Azzurri begins with both a reunion and a reset.

Heavy schedule, heavy squad

The calendar explains the numbers. Italy open against Belgium in Rome on 25 September, then hit the road for tricky trips to Turkey and France, before returning home to Bologna for a second clash with Turkey. It’s a sprint, not a stroll, and Mancini wants options everywhere.

Squad rotation won’t just be a buzzword; it will decide results. Italy are chasing a top-two finish in Nations League Group A, a target that would secure a place in the quarter-finals and carry weight for the future. These matches will also feed directly into seeding for the Euro 2028 qualification draw in Belfast. Every selection, every minute, matters.

New faces on the radar

Inside that swollen squad list lie some genuine surprises. Uncapped prospects Romano, Zoma, and Samuel Inacio are all expected to be included, with Doumbia and Ahanor also in the frame for first-time call-ups.

Romano’s rise has been one of the more eye-catching stories of recent weeks. His form in midfield has pushed him into contention at a time when Italy’s options in central areas are thinner than Mancini would like. Opportunity has met timing, and the door is open.

Up front, German-based forward Zoma is being lined up to inject something Italy have lacked: real width in attack. The Azzurri’s forward line has often looked narrow and predictable; Zoma’s profile hints at a different dimension.

In goal, Bologna’s Pessina could be rewarded with a spot alongside the established trio of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marco Carnesecchi, and Guglielmo Vicario. It would be a crowded but fiercely competitive goalkeeping department.

Echoes of Euro 2020

For all the fresh names, Mancini is not tearing everything up. The backbone of Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph still runs through his plans.

Nicolò Barella, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Bryan Cristante, and Alessandro Bastoni are all expected to feature, carrying experience, continuity, and a reminder of what this group has already achieved. There is also room, potentially, for nostalgia with purpose: former Euro winner Federico Bernardeschi and midfielder Rolando Mandragora are both under consideration for surprise recalls.

The message is clear. This is not a farewell tour for the old guard, nor a blind rush to youth. It’s a blend, calculated and pragmatic.

Injury setbacks and careful compromises

Not everyone can join the relaunch. Injuries have stripped Mancini of several key figures: Federico Chiesa, Nicolò Zaniolo, Manuel Locatelli, and Alessandro Buongiorno are all ruled out. Each absence removes a different kind of weapon — Chiesa’s direct running, Zaniolo’s power, Locatelli’s control, Buongiorno’s defensive steel.

Mateo Retegui remains on holiday in Argentina, though he could still be summoned if circumstances demand it. His status underlines the fluid nature of this camp: doors will stay ajar, and late changes are very much on the table.

One revolution, though, has been deliberately delayed. Mancini has chosen not to raid the Italy Under-21s, resisting the temptation to overhaul everything at once. Cher Ndour, Niccolo Pisilli, and Luca Koleosho — key young talents for the next generation — will remain with Bernardo Baldini’s side for crucial European qualifiers.

It’s a compromise that reveals the broader strategy: rebuild the senior team, but not at the expense of the pipeline feeding it.

A second era, and a crowded audition

So Mancini’s second spell begins with a list that looks more like a training camp than a traditional squad sheet. Thirty-five players, four games, 11 days. Veterans, hopefuls, and complete unknowns to the international stage, all thrown into the same pressure cooker.

Some will be there to carry the load. Others will be there to audition.

By the time this Nations League burst is over, Italy will know their place in Group A, their seeding prospects for Euro 2028 — and, just as importantly, which of these new names can carry the Azzurri shirt into the next cycle.