Roberto Mancini spent the weekend in England monitoring Italy’s leading candidates ahead of the September international break, with Sandro Tonali, Riccardo Calafiori and Michael Kayode among the players under consideration.
The Italy coach attended three Premier League fixtures as he prepares for the next Azzurri squad announcement. His weekend schedule included Tottenham’s meeting with Newcastle, Leeds United’s game against Brentford and Aston Villa’s fixture with Arsenal.
Mancini’s visits came at an important point in the build-up to the international break, with the performances of Italian players in the Premier League likely to form part of his thinking before he finalises his selection.
Tonali was watched during Tottenham against Newcastle, while Calafiori was involved when Leeds United faced Brentford. Kayode was among the Italian players in view as Aston Villa met Arsenal.
The three players have been identified as possible wild cards in Mancini’s plans, with the Italy coach assessing whether their current form could influence the make-up of his next squad. The matches also gave him an opportunity to monitor the wider group of Azzurri players competing in England.
The upcoming squad announcement will provide the clearest indication of how Mancini has assessed the weekend’s performances. Until then, the coach’s attendance at the three fixtures highlights the importance of the Premier League to his selection process.
Lorenzo Bettoni and Peter Young review the displays of the Italian players involved and examine how those performances could affect Mancini’s choices for the September international break.
The full analysis is available in the accompanying video, with viewers also able to subscribe to the official Football Italia YouTube channel.
Lorenzo Bettoni is the Editor of Football Italia.
