Roberto Mancini has opened up about his time as Italy manager and questioned why one Serie A player is not getting the minutes he deserves.
What Did Roberto Mancini Say About His Time As Italy Manager
After an impressive run as Italy manager, holding the reins from July 2018 to August 2023, Roberto Mancini left as one of the most-decorated mangers in the nations history.
The former Manchester City boss guided the Azzurri to European Championship glory in 2021, beating England at Wembley Stadium via a penalty shootout.
However, Mancini went from zero to hero in the following year as Italy failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and he parted ways with the Azzurri months later.
In a recent interview, Mancini spoke about his time in charge of the Italian national team and revealed his side needed a touch of luck that could have helped avoid the 2022 World Cup embarrassment.
Mancini said: “It’s the easiest thing to latch onto. Because it pays off more, negative news is what makes headlines; it gets people talking.
“Certainly, it was something very particular and during a tough time. In football, you also need a bit of luck; even those with Messi and Ronaldo have never won without some
“If Martinez hadn’t made that save on Kolo Muani at minute 120, Argentina would have lost the World Cup, which they won on penalties. At the same time, sometimes you have terrible bad luck, like we did, missing out on the World Cup.
“We dominated the group, but were eliminated due to two missed penalties and a loss to North Macedonia, despite having 27 shots to their one. That game should have ended 4-1 or 5-1, just like the one in Basel should have ended 3-0.
“Football sometimes gives and sometimes takes away. We had a bit of luck winning the Euros and a lot of bad luck missing out on the World Cup.”
Following his departure, Luciano Spalletti took charge and the national team failed to live up to the expectation, as Italy crashed out of Euro 2024 in a round of 16 defeat to Switzerland.
In 2025, Italy’s form failed to improve and after a 3-0 defeat to Norway in a World Cup qualifier, Spalletti was relieved of his duties and Italy are now on the hunt for a new manager.
Claudio Ranieri turned down the opportunity to focus on his new advisory role with Roma and Gennaro Gattuso has also been heavily linked with the job.
Which Serie A Star Does Mancini Think Deserves More Minutes?
Another topic that was covered by Mancini was his confusion over why Simone Pafundi has not been given more playing team in Serie A, as the Italian coach is a big fan of the 19-year-old.
During his time as Italy boss, Mancini called Pafundi up to the national side ons several occasions and handed the youngster his senior debut in 2022.
However, the teenager has failed to kick-on during his time with Udinese and spent the majority of last season on loan at Lausanne-Sport before returning to Udinese in January 2025.
Pafundi has made just 19 Serie A appearances in his career so far and Mancini described his lack of playing time as one of the biggest mysteries in soccer.
Mancini said: “For me, it’s one of football’s greatest mysteries. I can’t understand how he’s not playing in Serie A I’ve seen him up close several times, but there are others too.
“If you don’t put them on the field, how are they supposed to improve? A young player needs to play, sit out, play again, but then comes the most important party: they need to be allowed to make mistakes.”
Udinese finished 12th in the league last season and were closer to the bottom three than the European places – leaving them as one of the favorites to be relegated next year on Serie A betting sites.
