Italy's New Squad Under Mancini: Key Players and Challenges

Roberto Mancini’s first Italy squad has landed with a jolt rather than a whisper.

Daniel Maldini is in, despite the cloud of a recent off-field incident. Rolando Mandragora is back from the international wilderness after more than five years. Chelsea’s Marco Palestra, tipped by many to be part of the new era, has been left at home.

All of it wrapped around a demanding Nations League schedule that will test this rebooted Azzurri from the first whistle.

A demanding fixture list for Mancini’s reboot

Italy face four Nations League games in this international window alone: Belgium on September 25, Turkiye on September 28, France on October 2 and a second meeting with Turkiye on October 5.

The group then closes in November, with France on November 12 and Belgium on November 15 completing a heavyweight calendar. For a coach unveiling a new cycle, there is no soft launch.

Mancini has called up nine new faces, a clear signal that this is not a cosmetic refresh. But the biggest talking points come from the names everyone already knows.

Maldini in the spotlight

The inclusion of Daniel Maldini always looked like a decision that would carry headlines with it.

The forward has been under scrutiny after a car accident in which his licence was suspended when he tested just over the alcohol limit. Reports then spiralled, claiming he had also failed a drugs test. Those suggestions were later proven inaccurate, with all toxicology tests returning negative.

Cagliari have stood firmly behind him and insist he will start their next Serie A match this weekend. Mancini has now followed suit, bringing him into a squad that will be watched closely, on and off the pitch.

Palestra misses out

On the other side of the debate sits Marco Palestra.

The Chelsea man had been widely expected to miss out, and so it proved. An injury in pre-season has delayed his competitive debut for the Premier League club, and without minutes at club level, his case for international selection never truly gathered momentum.

For Palestra, the message is simple: get fit, get playing, and the door will open again.

Familiar faces return

There is a more reassuring feel to two other names on the list. Nicolò Fagioli and Nicolò Zaniolo are back in the Italy squad after almost a year away, their last call-up coming in October 2024.

Fagioli, now with Fiorentina, already has seven senior caps and has long been seen as a midfielder built for this level. Zaniolo’s story with the national team is even more entwined with Mancini’s tenure. He was first called up by this coach before he had even played a single Serie A match, a bold move that helped define Mancini’s early reign.

Zaniolo now sits on 19 caps. His most recent appearance came in a friendly against Ecuador in March 2024, while his last competitive outing dates back to November 2023 against Ukraine. His return suggests Mancini still believes there is a decisive player to be unlocked there.

Mandragora’s long road back

Then there is Rolando Mandragora, perhaps the most striking selection of all.

Now at Torino, the midfielder has not been part of an Italy squad since March 2021. His only senior cap arrived way back in June 2018, in a 3-1 friendly defeat to France. That gap – more than five years between call-ups – tells its own story of injuries, form swings and the unforgiving nature of elite football.

Yet here he is again, back in the Azzurri fold at 29, with a chance to turn that solitary appearance into the start of something more substantial.

Mancini’s list is not a revolution, but it is a statement. Big calls, big risks, and a Nations League campaign that will quickly reveal whether this blend of recalls, redemption arcs and fresh blood can carry Italy through a brutal group – or force the coach back to the drawing board before winter even arrives.