Marcel Desailly has warned Italy that restoring the national team to its former status will be a long-term project, saying Roberto Mancini’s rebuilding work could take “five, six or seven years” to produce a new cycle.
The former Milan defender expects to watch closely as France host Italy at the Stade de France in the Nations League on Friday evening. The match will be Zinedine Zidane’s first home fixture in charge of Les Bleues.
Italy have also begun another period of transition after Mancini returned as head coach following Gennaro Gattuso’s resignation earlier this year. Mancini’s second spell started with a 2-0 home defeat by Belgium before Italy responded with a 4-1 away win over Vincenzo Montella’s Turkey on Monday night.
Desailly, who won 116 caps for France, said it was too early to judge how Italy would perform against France while Mancini was still at the beginning of his rebuilding process.
“You’ve just changed coaches,” Desailly told Corriere della Sera. “The potential is out of the question, it could be any one of about three different teams that he could put out against France.
“When I say it takes time, I mean it’s not an immediate process to change formation or switch to a more attacking game. You don’t build trust by winning just one game. The coach has to work on identity to start a new cycle in five, six or seven years from now.”
The former France international said Italy’s recent difficulties could not be traced to a single problem. He pointed instead to several areas affecting the development of the national team, including the country’s academies, stadiums and footballing philosophy.
“I think the problem concerns the academies, stadiums and the philosophy of the game, a bit of all of these things combined,” he said. “Something is missing in the way that new generations are brought through.”
Italy have endured a period of uncertainty on and off the pitch, with changes in the dugout adding to the pressure on Mancini as he attempts to establish a team capable of competing at the highest level again.
Desailly also acknowledged the scrutiny surrounding the manager but rejected the idea that the team could be transformed instantly.
“There’s a lot of interest around him, but it’s not easy to perform magic,” he said. “It takes time to recover after going through a crisis.”