Mancini's revolution begins! Italy's first squad of the new era packs stunning surprises

The second Mancini era in the Italian national team has officially kicked off. The returning coach has named his first squad for the Nations League, and it is full of bold decisions.

Details: According to Fabrizio Romano, Italy have released their first squad list under Roberto Mancini's new cycle. The expanded 34-man selection features nine debutants, including Brentford defender Michael Kayode, Alessandro Romano and several young talents from Serie A.

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The squad looks as follows: Marco Carnesecchi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Massimo Pessina and Guglielmo Vicario in goal; Honest Ahanor, Alessandro Bastoni, Riccardo Calafiori, Diego Coppola, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Federico Dimarco, Daniele Ghilardi, Michael Kayode, Eddy Kouadio, Gianluca Mancini and Giorgio Scalvini in defense; Nicolò Barella, Bryan Cristante, Issa Doumbia, Nicolò Fagioli, Davide Frattesi, Rolando Mandragora, Alessandro Romano and Sandro Tonali in midfield; and Nicolò Cambiaghi, Francesco Pio Esposito, Sebastiano Esposito, Samuele Inacio, Moise Kean, Daniel Maldini, Giacomo Raspadori, Gianluca Scamacca, Antonio Vergara, Nicolò Zaniolo and Mohamed Ali Zoma in attack. The list is striking for its courage: Mancini, who previously led Italy from 2018 to 2023 and won Euro 2020, has returned to rebuild the team around a new generation. Nearly 70 players were reportedly on his preliminary list, with 34-year-old Jorginho sensationally considered, but the final selection shows a clear bet on youth. The Azzurri face a brutal Nations League schedule against Belgium, Türkiye and France, so the new faces will be tested by fire immediately.

It's worth noting that Mancini's first spell ended with a shock resignation in 2023, and his return makes him one of the few coaches in history to lead the same national team in two separate eras.

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