Roberto Mancini's Bold Italy Reboot: New Faces and Tough Tests

Roberto Mancini has wasted no time in stamping his mark on Italy’s latest reboot.

Barely weeks after returning to the Azzurri bench on a deal running to 2030, the coach has named a 34-man squad for a demanding Nations League block that will test both his ideas and his nerve. Four games in two weeks, two meetings with Vincenzo Montella’s Türkiye, plus clashes with Belgium and Zinedine Zidane’s France. No soft launch. No easing in.

The new era begins at the Stadio Olimpico on Friday, September 25, when Italy host Belgium in Rome.

Nine newcomers signal a clean break

Mancini has ripped up the comfort blanket of familiarity and gone for a sweeping refresh, handing maiden call-ups to nine players across the pitch.

In goal, Bologna’s Massimo Pessina earns his first taste of the senior setup, a clear nod to the future. At the back, Roma defender Daniele Ghilardi and Brentford full-back Michael Kayode are promoted, underlining Mancini’s willingness to look beyond Serie A for energy and athleticism.

They are joined in defence and midfield by Monza’s Eddy Kouadio, Cagliari’s Alessandro Romano and Sporting CP talent Issa Doumbia, another export who has forced his way into the conversation with his club form.

Up front, the shake-up is even more striking. Sassuolo striker Sebastiano Esposito, Napoli forward Antonio Vergara and Nurnberg’s Mohamed Ali Zoma all receive their first senior invitations, adding fresh legs and different profiles to an attack that has too often looked predictable.

Core trust and big-name returns

Amid the churn, Mancini has kept a thread of continuity. Crystal Palace defender Honest Ahanor and Borussia Dortmund forward Samuele Inacio both keep their places after recent friendlies, rewarded for their performances and attitude as the coach pieces together a new spine.

Then come the names that instantly change the mood around Coverciano.

Fiorentina midfielder Nicolò Fagioli and Udinese attacker Nicolò Zaniolo are back in blue for the first time since October 2024. Both have had long spells away from the national team, both bring technical quality and personality that Italy have missed. Their recalls hint at a coach ready to forgive, provided the talent still burns.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is Torino midfielder Rolando Mandragora. His last cap came in March 2021, a different cycle, a different Italy. Now he returns to the fold, a sign that Mancini is scouring every corner of the league for balance and reliability in the middle of the pitch.

One notable omission had been widely expected. Chelsea defender Marco Palestra misses out, still sidelined and yet to play this season because of injury. Mancini has chosen not to gamble on his fitness with such an intense run of fixtures looming.

A brutal schedule for a new project

Italy will assemble at Coverciano on Monday, September 21, where Mancini will get his first real block of work with this revamped group. From there, the calendar barely lets them breathe.

After opening against Belgium in Rome on September 25, the Azzurri travel to face Türkiye on September 28 in the first of two meetings with Montella’s side. Then comes a marquee test: a trip to France to meet Zidane’s team on Friday, October 2, a fixture that will offer an immediate measure of where this new-look Italy stands against elite opposition.

The window closes back on home soil, with Türkiye visiting the Stadio Dall’Ara in Bologna on October 5. By then, Mancini’s bold selections will have been exposed to pressure, travel, and top-level scrutiny.

For a coach tied to the national team until 2030, this is only the beginning. But with nine debutants, major recalls, and heavyweight opponents lined up, the question is already clear: how quickly can this Italy grow up?