It’s difficult not to think back to eleven months ago and the lifting of the European Championship trophy in London. Only 272km separate Wembley from Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, where, at 20:45 CEST tomorrow evening, Italy will face England on matchday three in the Nations League. At stake this time around are three points in Group 3, which the Azzurri are currently leading.

“It’ll be a difficult match, as it always is when you face England,” warned Roberto Mancini in his pre-match press conference at Molineux Stadium. “It’s not a rematch; it’s a completely different game to a final. We’re also playing at this stadium, which isn’t where England usually play, and behind closed doors.” England are undoubtedly a fantastic side: “They have many top-class players, it’s difficult to single just one out. Along with Germany, Spain and four or five others, they’re among the World Cup favourites.”

Tomorrow, it’ll be a very different Italy team to the one that got the better of Kane and Co. to become European Champions. Bonucci, Chiellini, Jorginho and Verratti won’t be involved, nor will Insigne, Immobile and Chiesa, who formed the Azzurri’s attacking trio that evening, and the two attackers who came on at Wembley, Berardi and Bernardeschi. The setting will be different, too, with the match set to take place behind closed doors as punishment for unrest during last summer’s final. Only 1,500 children from schools or football academies will be in attendance. “We’re yet to decide the starting line-up,” continued Mancini, who, however, confirmed Scamacca will play from the beginning. “There will definitely be a few changes; we need to assess the conditions of those who have played two games in four days. It’d be better if we could avoid making wholesale changes. But just to point out one example, Cristante has been involved in two games in four days and another match is coming up in three days’ time. It’s a position where we don’t have a huge amount of options. If the opportunity arises, I’d like to give all of our younger players their debuts.”

Asked whether it would have been better to begin the new cycle earlier, perhaps when Italy were involved in the World Cup playoffs, the Head Coach responded as follows: “It would have been impossible; there wasn’t enough time and it wouldn’t have been logical. We won the Euros and were then back on the pitch a month and a half later. It was the same team that we started off with in World Cup qualifying and, apart from Chiellini and Bonucci, all the lads were under 30. Even against North Macedonia in Palermo, there wasn’t anyone over the age of 32/33 playing; all the lads were around 27/28.” There will still be opportunities for those who were part of Italy’s European Championship-winning squad: “Many of these players will be able to help us in Euro qualifying, too. The lads we have now mixed in with those who were involved in the Euros make a good team. We have to focus on youth now going into the Euros and the 2026 World Cup, which we’ll try to win.”

Joining the Head Coach in the press room was Sandro Tonali, who started against Germany at the Dall’Ara last Saturday and played the final minutes against Hungary in Cesena. He’s aiming to become an increasingly important figure in the National Team setup: “There’s a long way to go,” said the 22-year-old. “I’m taking my first steps and need to continue to do what I’m doing. Right now, I don’t want to feel like a leader; it’s a delicate moment for the whole team. We need to be united. Everyone, including the youngest players, must feel part of the group.”

Among the key figures in Milan’s Scudetto triumph, he’s just enjoyed a fantastic season after needing a bit of time to fully settle in. He’s one of the 45 players who Mancini has given a debut to and is proof that investing in young players does eventually pay off: “Playing as a starter for Milan and reaching a higher level than before helped me a lot. The idea is to continue in this fashion, both for Italy and Milan. Italy is the most important thing right now. When I’m back at Milan, Milan will take precedence. All that changed was being able to trust myself and play without second-guessing myself. It seems like a small thing, but it transforms everything when you’re out on the pitch.”