After their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the Italian FA knew the national team needed a shake-up. In came Roberto Mancini, and the former Manchester City boss immediately championed the wealth of previously overlooked young talent that was available to the Azzurri. He quickly began integrating as many of them as possible and, is now in charge of a team that has won each of the six Euro 2020 qualifying matches they have played thus far.
Italy now sit alongside Belgium, England and Spain as one of only four teams still boasting a 100% record, and they owe much of that success to the players Mancini has brought into the fold. His new look midfield – one comprised of Jorginho, Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella – brings the dynamism, energy and technical ability that was always lacking in sides featuring ageing players like Marco Parolo and Antonio Candreva.
The same is true in defence, where the in-form Emerson Palmieri has taken major strides forward recently, benefiting both Chelsea and Italy with vastly improved performances as the 25-year-old begins to realise the vast potential that until now remained largely untapped.
7 wins in a row for Italy – unbeaten for more than a year (10 matches) new players showing promise, options growing.
Much work still to do, but Mancini making very steady & encouraging progress #FINITA— Adam Summerton (@adamsummerton) September 8, 2019
There are so many options to choose from all across the pitch, with every position except the no.9 providing Mancini with an enviable level of depth. However, for this team to be truly successful, he knew he needed a player who was struggling through a bad patch to suddenly re-emerge, a striker who had lost their way to discover the kind of form that once made them a widely coveted star.
Instantly, many expected that player to be Mario Balotelli but, despite handing him a lifeline, Mancini has largely resisted the temptation to call upon the man he worked with at Inter and in Manchester, waiting – like everyone else – for the 29-year-old to prove he deserves a regular place in the squad.
Instead of “Super Mario,” it has been Andrea Belotti who has made the best case. It is not that long ago since the Torino forward was being discussed as a potential €100 million target for Europe’s biggest clubs. Having bagged 26 league goals in 2016/17, top four clubs across Italy, Spain and England toyed with the idea of making a huge bid, but eventually opted to sign cheaper alternatives and seemingly dodging a major bullet by doing so.
Belotti only managed a combined total of 25 goals over the following two campaigns, leading many to believe he was simply a one-season wonder that was never worth the hype that surrounded him just two years ago. There were flickers last term of that devastating previous form – including this sensational overhead kick – but he was never consistent enough to convince those doubters that he could reach that level once again.
Then the 2019/20 season got underway.
Like so many Italian teams before them in recent years, Torino would ultimately come up short in attempting to navigate the qualifying rounds of the Europa League, but the blame for their elimination certainly does not belong on Belotti’s broad shoulders. The 25-year-old scored twice against both Debrecen and Shakhtyor Soligorsk, then struck in both legs against Wolverhampton Wanderers, unfortunate to see his side lose 5-3 to the latter on aggregate.
Andrea Belotti has now scored 8 goals for club & country this season #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/yCBQLws8o4
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@UEFAEURO) September 5, 2019
Belotti gave Nuno Espirito Santo’s defence a torrid time in their two meetings, and did the same to Sassuolo in the Serie A match sandwiched between their two clashes with Wolves. He also found the back of the net in that encounter, with statistics provided by Opta also showing that he completed three take ons, created three clear scoring chances for his team-mates, won two aerial duels and registered one tackle in 90 minutes of action.
His all-round play is now vastly superior to what Belotti showed during his breakout 2016/17 season, while he also contributes much more defensively since the arrival of Walter Mazzarri. The coach places a huge demand on his side when they lose possession, insisting that all 11 players work to win it back. “I do believe Belotti has rediscovered the form of old,” the ex-Watford boss said recently. “We’ve been working on his technique in training, his first touch and control. I did the same work after training sessions had concluded with Edinson Cavani at Napoli.”
That is the level the Granata Captain is striving to reach, and – after bagging two goals for Italy in last week’s win over Armenia – the man himself is certainly pleased with what he has accomplished over the last few weeks. “Of course it means a lot to me, representing the Azzurri is the best and I don’t want to stop now,” Belotti told RAI Sport as he left the field in Yerevan. “I’m happy with how the season is going so far, and with our qualifying campaign.”
Yet the standard he is aiming for is perhaps best illustrated by the Michael Jordan quote his has tattooed on his forearm which reads “Limits, like fears, are often illusions.” Those are words that Andrea Belotti believe will inspire him to prove his previous form was indeed for real and, if it is, that might be enough to push Roberto Mancini’s new look Italy to Euro 2020 glory.
