Talent must be cultivated, youngsters must be able to play in order to grow. These are the words of Roberto Mancini, who was a young talent himself and who, as coach, has always had the courage to play youngsters, sometimes even before they blossomed at their clubs. From Zaniolo to Gnonto, from Raspadori to Pafundi, the list of those who have had a valuable chance in the national team is a long one. But to be able to make the leap in quality it is necessary to have a good number of minutes throughout the domestic season and Mancini reiterated this at the presentation of the partnership between FIGC and adidas when answering a question from a reporter. He was asked if Italy also had their own Bellingham: 'I think Italy have 4-5 players of his level, they must be given time and trust. Young people must play, whether in Italy or abroad, and gain experience at their clubs to be useful to us. In England, Germany and the Netherlands, if someone is good they play him."

In Italy, on the other hand, the preference is still too often for the 'safe used players' and so for the coach even the trials dedicated to players of national interest represent an opportunity to discover new talents: "We are going to look everywhere for young and almost unknown players," underlines Mancini, confirming that the shortage of forwards is a problem: "In the past there was a lack of defenders or midfielders, today we do not have great players in the forward positions. But we are trying to find them. Even abroad a young player can mature, and finding his level in a foreign league can be a good opportunity to grow, as confirmed by Scamacca's recent positive performances in England: "He is having a good experience, the Premier League is difficult."

And it is against England that the national team will begin its journey in the qualifiers for the 2024 European Championships in Germany on 23 March in Naples. It will be the first match with the new adidas shirt, a journey that will continue with the trip to Malta before making way for the final stage of the Nations League in June: "Against England it will not be an easy debut", warns Mancini. "The hope is that all the lads are physically well and can be called up. We want to start well and then be ready for the Nations League finals". On 25 January, Italy will know the opponent they will face in the semi-finals next June, when they will have the opportunity to lift a second trophy under Mancini's management: "Croatia, Spain and the Netherlands are three strong national teams, they are as strong as each other. The important thing for us is to win the title."