Roberto Mancini's Return: Italy's Supersized Squad for Nations League

Roberto Mancini is back. And he is not easing himself into the job.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the returning Italy head coach is preparing to name a supersized squad of up to 35 players for the upcoming international window, as he begins his second spell in charge of the Azzurri more than eight years after his first appointment in May 2018.

A brutal schedule, a swollen squad

The numbers tell you why he is thinking big. Italy must navigate four Nations League games in just 11 days, a punishing run that will stretch even the deepest squad.

They open against Belgium in Rome on 25 September, then head on the road for testing trips to Turkey and France, before returning home to host Turkey again in Bologna. Rotation will not be a luxury. It will be a necessity.

Mancini’s plan reflects that reality. A large group gives him the tools to reshuffle from game to game while still targeting a top-two finish in Nations League Group A, the minimum required to reach the quarter-finals and keep Italy among Europe’s elite.

Those fixtures will also feed directly into the Euro 2028 qualification picture, with results influencing seeding for the draw in Belfast. Every point in this window carries weight.

New faces, bold calls

Behind the headline number sits a bolder story: the names.

Among the expected surprise inclusions are several uncapped players – Romano, Zoma, and Samuel Inacio – with Doumbia and Ahanor also in line for potential first call-ups. It is not a full-scale revolution, but it is a clear signal that Mancini wants fresh energy around Coverciano.

Midfielder Romano has forced his way into the conversation with his recent form, his emergence made even more important by Italy’s lack of depth in central areas. With options thin in the middle of the pitch, his timing could hardly be better.

Up front, German-based forward Zoma is being lined up to give Italy something they have lacked for too long: genuine width and directness in the attacking third. An Azzurri attack searching for new solutions may finally get a different profile of forward to stretch defences.

In goal, Bologna’s Pessina could be rewarded with a place alongside established names Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marco Carnesecchi, and Guglielmo Vicario. It would be a significant step for the Bologna keeper, and another hint that no position is closed to competition.

The Euro 2020 core still stands

For all the noise around new blood, this is not a clean break from the past.

Several pillars from the Euro 2020 triumph remain central to Mancini’s thinking. Nicolò Barella, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Bryan Cristante, and Alessandro Bastoni are all expected to feature, anchoring the group with experience and continuity.

There could also be a nostalgic twist. Federico Bernardeschi, one of the heroes of that European title run, is under consideration for a surprise recall. So is midfielder Rolando Mandragora, whose name had drifted away from the senior picture but now edges back into view.

Mancini’s second era, at least at the start, looks like a blend: the old guard providing structure, the newcomers adding urgency.

Injuries bite, revolution delayed

Not everyone can join the reset.

Injuries have stripped Mancini of several key figures. Federico Chiesa, Nicolò Zaniolo, Manuel Locatelli, and Alessandro Buongiorno are all ruled out, removing both creativity and steel from his options. Their absence shapes the squad as much as any tactical choice.

Another wrinkle comes from Argentina. Mateo Retegui is currently on holiday there, though he remains an option if Mancini decides he needs him. The door is not closed.

Even with a 35-man group on the table, the coach has chosen not to tear everything up at once. To protect the Italy Under-21 side, he has postponed a full-scale overhaul. Talents such as Cher Ndour, Niccolo Pisilli, and Luca Koleosho will stay under Bernardo Baldini’s command for crucial European qualifiers, rather than being fast-tracked into the senior setup.

The message is clear: the future is being managed, not rushed.

A demanding return

Mancini’s comeback is framed by pressure from every angle: a dense calendar, a squad in transition, and the lingering expectations created by that Euro 2020 win.

He will have numbers on his side this month. What he needs now is clarity – on who can handle the Nations League storm, and who can carry Italy into Euro 2028 as more than just a name in the top seeding pot.