The national team and the things to save, the coach starts again from the first 25 minutes of the second half

ROME - Where to start again? This is the question Roberto Mancini knew he had to answer in the post-match press conference for Italy-Belgium. And the Italian coach has no doubts in stating that The good things were seen in the first 25 minutes of the second half. "We were very aggressive, winning back all the second balls and not conceding anything." Admitting that we must avoid the mistake of forcing the game when there's no space, Mancini explains what happened in the first half. "We gave too much space to a strong team that played better. And on the second goal, we left the field too open." For the coach, sixty minutes aren't enough time to evaluate the attacking trident's performance. "It was Pio Esposito's first time with Moise and Cambiaghi on the wings; at Inter, he has a different way of playing." The boos raining down from the stands reflect the mood of a nation weighed down by the three World Cups from which Italy was excluded. The boos are understandable for Mancini, who is confident of a strong finish to the journey that has just begun. Finally, there's also time for an analysis of the midfielders, with Tonali potentially adapting to a playmaker role. Mancini absolves Romano (“mistakes can happen”) and thinks that Fagioli could be used as a midfielder like Verratti.