According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Roberto Mancini’s management during the Euros led to a fragmented locker room within the “Azzurri” squad.
In the Round of 16 of the Euros, Italy was eliminated by Switzerland with a 0-2 defeat, ending their campaign in Germany. With only one victory in four matches, Italy bowed out in a highly embarrassing manner. Today’s edition of La Repubblica continues to shed light on the turmoil within Mancini’s team.
The report claims that several players were disengaged during training sessions, expressing confusion over the coach’s tactics and dissatisfaction with the training methods. Mancini found a lack of a leader in his dressing room, which resulted in the fragmentation into smaller cliques.
Some players criticized Mancini for being unprepared, feeling that the team’s style of play lacked intensity. Others privately questioned the call-up of Fabio Quagliarella, seeing him merely as a replacement for Sandro Tonali. There was even shock among some players when, with less than two hours before the match against Croatia, tactical changes were made. Many players were left puzzled about why they didn’t make the starting lineup.