Roberto Mancini Names First Italy Squad with Key Changes
Roberto Mancini’s first Italy squad has landed, and it arrives with debate baked in. Daniel Maldini is in despite his recent off‑field incident, Rolando Mandragora returns from the international wilderness after more than five years, and Chelsea’s Marco Palestra is left watching from home.
The Azzurri face a demanding Nations League schedule over the coming weeks: Belgium on September 25, Turkiye on September 28, France on October 2, then Turkiye again on October 5. The group stage will then close with France on November 12 and a trip to Belgium on November 15. Mancini has responded with a mix of renewal and risk, naming nine new faces and sprinkling in some eye‑catching recalls.
Maldini in, Palestra out
Palestra’s exclusion had been widely anticipated. The Chelsea player has yet to make his competitive debut for the club after picking up an injury in pre-season, and that lack of minutes has cost him at international level.
Maldini’s case was far less straightforward. His place was in doubt after a car accident led to his licence being suspended when he tested just over the legal alcohol limit. Reports then surfaced claiming he had failed a drugs test as well, but those were later shown to be inaccurate, with all toxicology tests coming back negative.
Cagliari have backed him firmly, making it clear he will start their next Serie A match this weekend. Mancini has now followed suit, deciding the 22-year-old’s talent and trajectory still justify a call-up.
Familiar names return
The squad list also restores two players who had slipped out of the national-team frame. Nicolò Fagioli and Nicolò Zaniolo are both back after being overlooked since October 2024.
Fagioli, now at Fiorentina, has seven senior caps and remains a midfielder Mancini trusts in possession. Zaniolo’s relationship with the Azzurri is even more storied: he was first called up by Mancini before he had played a single Serie A match. He has since collected 19 caps, the latest coming in a friendly against Ecuador in March 2024, though his last competitive appearance dates back to November 2023 against Ukraine.
Their return signals Mancini’s willingness to lean again on players he once fast-tracked, banking on them to rediscover their best form on an international stage that will not wait for anyone.
Mandragora’s long road back
The most striking name, though, is Rolando Mandragora. Now at Torino, the midfielder has forced his way back into the Italy squad for the first time since March 2021. The gap is stark: more than five years between call-ups.
Mandragora’s international story to this point has been brutally short. His first and only senior cap came in June 2018, a 3-1 friendly defeat to France. Since then, injuries, competition and form have kept him on the outside.
Mancini has now reopened that door. For a 29-year-old who once looked destined to be a long-term fixture in the Azzurri midfield, this is more than a nostalgic nod. It is a second chance on a stage that rarely offers one.
With a heavy Nations League calendar, a reshaped squad and several careers at a crossroads, Mancini’s first Italy list does not just answer questions. It sets up a new wave of them.
