Mondial-2022 | Italy retains its Chance to Damage

(Palerme) Italy has never missed two consecutive World Cups: Roberto Mancini’s European champions won two barrage matches to avoid a historic fiasco and monitor the trauma of the 2018 qualifying match.

“Our goal is to win the World Cup. But for this, one must win these two matches “, launched the always very optimistic Italian selector. It is for the first time two times to the wall, in four years, before the semi-final of barrage against the Macedonian of the North, Thursday (20 h 45) in Palerme.

To hope to qualify in Portugal, under Cristiano Ronaldo, or in Turkey, Italy’s quadruple world champion (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) should avoid the lack of confidence against the 67^e world nation.

Car the refrain of “Magical Nights” which brought Giorgio Chiellini and his sons on the roof of Europe last year has been known for several short notes: the end of three years of invincibility (37 matches), in the League of nations against Spain, and especially the direct ticket for the abandoned World Cup in Switzerland.

The fault especially to two zeros against the “Nati” (0-0, 1-1) with two Penalties rated by Jorginho, became the symbol of the return to the regular azzurro, and another against Bulgaria (1-1).

Neuf escaped from Sweden

And here’s this Italy reindeer from scratch – sacrificed on Tuesdays to the Euro – forced to pass by perilous barrages, as it was four years ago, when it had won in return matches against Sweden (0-1 ) 0-0).

An “Apocalypse” for the whole country, private from the World Cup for the first time since 1958. A life still alive for nine players still present in the group: Bonucci, Chiellini, Immobile, Belotti, Verratti, Insigne, Florenzi ethoeschi, Florenzi ethoeschi.

“Since November 2017, the climate has changed, there is more enthusiasm and confidence,” assures Marco Verratti.

“Those who have experienced the experience of it four years ago will have this liquidity to better manage their emotions”, would also like to believe the veteran Chiellini, who is well on his way to Qatar to “compete in beauty” with the azzurro jersey.

“We could not have been to find it, but it’s football,” said Mancini, “confident” in his last-year-old players’ “a victory for any person, but absolutely personne ne croyait ».

Mancini does not question the psychological state of his guard Gianluigi Donnarumma, who in March toured the Paris SG vinegar with his mistake against Real Madrid in the Champions League, or the precarious physique of Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci , in the phase of resumption and rather attendance for the eventual final of these high-risk barriers.

Immobile enfin Rayonnant?

The selector has no leitmotif: “the game”. It’s a shame that Italy regains its festival legacy, in a full stadium (30,000 Spectators) for the first time in Italy since the start of the pandemic.

In the absence of Federico Chiesa (season ended), he will certainly mark. In addition to a Ciro Immobile finally radiated under the blue jersey. On the freshman and the automatics of the offensive trio of Sassuolo Berardi-Scamacca-Raspadori. Still on the motivation of Cagliari’s striker Joao Pedro, born in Brazil 30 years ago and called for the first time with Italy, he preferred Mario Balotelli.

It will finally be possible for this Macedonian of the North to always be able to exploit, even without the “national hero” Goran Pandev, part of an international retreat: the small country of 2 million inhabitants has achieved a huge one, in Germany (2-1), before renting the second place of the group ahead of Romania and Iceland.

“Op sait they are defending well and they have important technical qualities. We must remain calm, “Mancini said on Wednesday.

The environment of Naples Eljif Elmas, author of the decision of the Macedonians in Germany, is suspended Thursday. But his selector Bobi Milevski, no less confident than Mancini, even summoned him, thinking about the eventual final.

«All the world is ready. We are not by chance, we are ready to make a big match “, he warned.