Roberto Mancini, manager of Italy. Photo: AFP
Italy coach Roberto Mancini said on Tuesday, on the eve of the Grand Final against Argentina, that Lionel Messi is still “the best in football” and the man to watch because he can “change a game in a second” .
“In Italy we have lived with (Diego) Maradona for many years and Messi is like him, one of the best of all time”, Mancini estimated at a press conference before training for his national team at Wembley stadium.
“This season he may not score many goals because he has changed team (from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain) and country, maybe he needs a little more time. But I think he is the best. Tomorrow we will have to be very careful with him. because it can change a game in a second, “he explained.
Roberto Mancini at the reconnaissance on the field of Italy at Wembley.
Leonardo Bonucci also praised Messi, one of the men who will have the mission to stop the Albiceleste star, who less than a year ago led his team to the title in Copa América.
“I was lucky enough to play against Messi many times. He has won the Ballon d’Or many times, he proved it … Difficult to put adjectives at his level, he continues to be, together with Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best. We must respect him. and be prepared to stop him and stop the Argentine team, “said the expert Juventus defender.
Both Mancini and Bonucci have stressed on several occasions how strong they see Argentina and the added importance that this match has for Azzurra after not having been able to qualify for the Qatar-2022 World Cup.
Roberto Mancini strolls around Wembley, where he won the European Championship months ago. Photo: AFP
“It’s nice to be able to play this match. Italy and Argentina, it’s a classic of world football. It will be a great match”, Mancini predicted.
“They are a great team, full of champions. They play at a very technical level and it will not be easy, I am curious to see how the game will evolve,” said the former Manchester City and Inter Milan manager.
On the question of whether this match serves to lick the wounds of the absence of the next World Cup, Mancini pointed out that “not much”, but that we must enjoy the game.
“It is a great pleasure for me to be here,” said Mancini, who won the European Championship at this stage a year ago. “Wembley is an impressive stadium especially as we were here one year ago celebrating being European champions,” he added.
The Italian coach has absent Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile and Marco Verrati for Wednesday’s match: “There are many important players missing, but I’m sure that whoever takes the field will have a great match.”
Regarding the future, Mancini insisted that this Wednesday’s duel “is the end of a cycle”. “But that doesn’t mean 15 or 20 players will disappear. After tomorrow some players will come in, because we need them to gain experience,” he warned.
Mancini begins a replacement phase in Italy. Photo: AFP
Azzurra’s coach admitted that it is “exciting” to return to Wembley, where his team won the European Championship in July 2021.
“Wembley is an impressive stadium, especially for us. A year ago we were here celebrating the fact that we were European champions. Those memories move us a lot,” he said.
Bonucci, for his part, admitted that not qualifying for the World Cup “still hurts a lot” but that now he shouldn’t think about it but “put on a show and win this tournament” of the Grand Final.
And he felt that Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina are now “one of the best teams in the world”. Positive. It’s rare in the history of football to have such a winning streak, “he said.
Source: EFE
Source: Clarin
