Congratulations to Mancini and italy
I think Mancini and Italy deserve enormous credit for how they have turned things around from missing out on the World Cup and how Mancini understood the need to implement a high quality pressing and counter pressing game and instilled one in his side over the past 3 years as a huge evolution of the way Italian sides have always traditionally played and perhaps their success will also spark a renaissance in the fortunes of Italian club sides in top European competition.
The comparison between the incredible evolution Mancini has initiated and the Italian national side, with the same evolution almost certain to follow in Italian club side is a very stark contrast between the devolution of how Southgate used the players at his disposal in how he had them play in the England team compared to how most play at their English club sides regularly competing for the biggest prizes in European football
Mancini's bravery in what he did is also incredibly admirable, totally and completely against the grain of decades of Italian national and club side football, forward thinking, progressive, his understanding of the value of and need to play a high quality pressing game and how if played correctly and well enough that prevents teams from countering you and employing Italy's best attacking full back Spinazzola in a very high pressing forward attacking role throughout also bears a stark contrast to Southgate's cowardice in dropping a player of even greater quality than Spinazzola from his England squad entirely earlier this season because he doesn't understand these values or aspire to them or have the spine to implement them
Italy and Mancini in particular thoroughly deserved every success their bravery and manager's innovation and understanding of what is required to win at the very highest level in modern football brought them.
Mancini should get special recognition for what he has done and achieved, he has completely rebuilt and innovated the way the Italian national side plays, he has also done something I have never seen any national manager achieve in my entire lifetime, he has taken players used to playing a dour defensive counter attacking game at their clubs and transformed them into players playing a high intensity pressing, counter pressing and passing game, far above the level at which they play for their clubs, again a stark contrast to Southgate who has done the exact opposite.
I cannot give Mancini and all his players who have bought into playing as he set out to have them do completely against the culture of their entire history of their national and club sides, it is an absolutely sensational achievement and story
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
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