Roberto Mancini's Bold Italy Squad Selection

Roberto Mancini’s first Italy squad has landed, and it comes with talking points on every line.

Daniel Maldini is in, despite the cloud hanging over his recent off‑pitch incident. Rolando Mandragora returns from international exile after more than five years. Marco Palestra, the Chelsea prospect many expected to see, has been left at home.

A new Azzurri era, with edges

Italy face a demanding Nations League block over the coming weeks: Belgium on September 25, Turkiye on September 28, France on October 2, then Turkiye again on October 5. The group stage wraps up with France on November 12 and a trip to Belgium on November 15.

Mancini has not eased himself into the job. He has called up nine new faces and cut through reputations and expectations with a series of bold decisions.

Palestra’s omission had been looming. The Chelsea man has yet to make his competitive debut for the club after picking up an injury in pre-season, and that lack of minutes has cost him a place in this first squad.

Maldini’s inclusion, though, always felt like the real flashpoint.

Maldini in despite controversy

The forward has been under scrutiny since a car accident that led to his driving licence being suspended after he tested narrowly over the alcohol limit. Reports initially claimed he had also failed a drugs test, but those stories were later shown to be inaccurate. All toxicology tests came back negative.

On the pitch, Cagliari have backed him publicly and insist he will start their next Serie A match this weekend. Mancini has now followed that line, bringing him into the national setup at a moment when many coaches might have waited.

The message is clear: form and potential still matter, even when the noise off the field is loud.

Old faces back in blue

This squad is not just about fresh blood. There are notable returns too.

Nicolò Fagioli and Nicolò Zaniolo are back after being frozen out since October 2024. Fagioli, now at Fiorentina, has seven senior caps and has long been viewed as a midfielder with the vision to dictate games at this level.

Zaniolo’s story with the Azzurri began in dramatic fashion. Mancini first called him up before he had even played a single Serie A match, a gamble that underlined how highly he was rated. He now sits on 19 caps, the latest coming in a friendly against Ecuador in March 2024. His last competitive appearance dates back to November 2023 against Ukraine. This recall gives him a fresh chance to re-establish himself as a key attacking weapon.

Then there is Mandragora, whose name jumps off the list for different reasons.

Mandragora’s long road back

The Torino midfielder has not featured for Italy since March 2021, a gap of more than five years between call-ups. His international record is almost a curiosity: one senior cap, earned in June 2018 during a 3-1 friendly defeat to France.

At 29, he now reappears in the Azzurri picture with a point to prove and a rare second chance at this level. For a player once tipped as a long-term fixture in Italy’s midfield, this recall feels like a final window to show he still belongs on this stage.

Mancini’s first list, then, is anything but cautious. It leans into risk, trusts players under pressure, and revives careers that seemed to have drifted away from the national team.

The real judgment will come when Belgium, Turkiye and France stand across the halfway line and we see whether these big calls can hold under the weight of competitive football.