Three years on from their 0-0 draw with Austria, the Under-21 National Team are returning to the Stadio Nereo Rocco in Trieste. There, they’re coming up against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an important qualifying fixture. While Friday’s draw with Montenegro allowed the Azzurrini to draw level with Sweden at the top of Group F with a game in hand, this time they’re aiming for victory.  

The stalemate in Podgorica hasn’t affected the calm atmosphere within a group that works hard and stands out for its compact nature. The game also served as a learning experienced for Paolo Nicolato’s side. “Against Bosnia, our approach needs to be good,” said the Head Coach. “We need to generate and gain enthusiasm from how we play and focus on improving certain tactical aspects, like making our presence felt all over the pitch and helping our attacking players more. After all, they aren’t in great physical condition, meaning they’ll need help from the team.”

It'll be a tough match tomorrow: “Bosnia have more quality than Montenegro and are a stronger side. The game will follow the same pattern: teams like this are always very compact and play on the counter, looking to make the most of your mistakes. Obviously, we want to keep the number of errors we make to a minimum. I’m sure that we’ll be able to do this.”

Returning to Friday’s game, Nicolato spoke about the group and the mistakes that were made: “Within the team, despite being of similar age, there are different levels of maturity. There are players who came from the very bottom of the ladder and play in a more grown-up manner. Others have come from important youth systems but lack that experience. When it comes to those players, time and application are required. Having a ruthless edge isn’t something that can be taught; it is learnt along the way, also through negative experiences.”

Against Montenegro, Nicolato felt that the team gave the impression of lacking something psychologically: “This is one of the messages we may have transmitted to those watching from the outside. We knew how difficult it’d be. Our approach had always been spot-on and our performances had always been very positive. However, in terms of attitude, we have to ask ourselves some questions about this one. It’s something I want to see us get right tomorrow; we’ve worked on this in the past few days.”

There hasn’t been a lack of commitment: “We’re always committed; however, there needs to be a desire to continually grow because the qualifying process is very complicated. Winning a group isn’t easy, with this certainly applying to all levels at this current time. Therefore, we need to be careful.”

Two players who played under Nicolato at Under-21 level will most likely feature against Turkey for the Mancini’s National Team tomorrow, namely Raspadori and Tonali: “Everyone probably judges my work on the results I achieve, but, from my perspective, a lot of hard graft goes into preparing a player for the senior side. This is really rewarding and should be gratifying for everyone involved in the Italy setup because it’s not a job I do alone. Having players who are making the step up to the senior side so early is, for me, more important than achieving victories.”

Finally, when asked about Mancini’s future, Nicolato made it clear that the current Head Coach’s presence in the Azzurri dugout would mean young players having a chance to play and grow as part of the senior side: “Personally, I’d be very happy if Mancini remained.”

Schedule (all times CEST)

Monday 28 March 2022

08:30                Breakfast

10:30                Training (behind closed doors)

13:45                Press conference (Nicolato) via Zoom (Rai in attendance)

17:30                Trip to the Stadio Nereo Rocco in Trieste

Tuesday 29 March 2022

10:30                Training (behind closed doors)

12:40                Technical meeting

17:30                Stadio Nereo Rocco in Trieste: ITALY VS. BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

                        followed by press conference and return to respective clubs