Head coach of Italy Roberto Mancini has resorted to a former construction worker who plays in the second division as part of solutions to rebuild the Azzurri after they failed to qualify for the next World Cup in Qatar and less than a year after being crowned European champions. Mancini gave young defender Federico Gatti, who plays for Frosinone, a club in the second division, in the squad against England, in the third round of Group C of the European Nations League, and revealed that he was the construction worker and succeeded in the first test, but it was a surprise to coach Roberto Mancini.
Mancini has chosen the squad that won the European Championship last July, but missing the World Cup for the second time in a row was repeated, after a shocking defeat from North Macedonia which pulled off an incredible upset as they beat Italy 1-0 in a World Cup Qualifier playoff.
Mancini faced intense pressure to resign, but the Italian Federation confirmed the confidence in the former Inter Milan and Manchester City coach to lead a new stage, amid calls for renewed blood, prompting veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini to retire internationally.
Mancini and his assistant Daniele De Rossi embraced the new face of Gatti after completing his first international match with distinction, to gain a promising element with his new system.Gatti admitted that he could not sleep well before the match but kept his consistency and "didn't look in anyone's face".
"I was playing in the second division this season, so being in the Champions League destroys nerves, but I got rid of the tension and played like I play in the lower leagues and didn't look at anyone's face," he told RAI.
"I had a feeling that I would be participating, so I didn't sleep well in the past days, and I hope this feeling continues in the coming days," he added. Italy has not lost in three Nations League matches so far, as it beat Hungary and drew with England and Germany with a fierce group in the first level.
Gatti will play for Juventus next season as part of another project to renew the team's blood after a bad season. At a previous press conference, Gatti said, "I worked in a lot of jobs, I will not forget the past, this gave me strength in difficult circumstances, I worked in stores, in window repair and construction work, and fortunately things improved in football in the end" since Juventus signed him at the beginning of the year for 5.5 million euros.