Italy manager Roberto Mancini praised his players’ performances following their 1-0 defeat against Portugal in the UEFA Nations League in Lisbon. he also added his team needs to be more sharp to add more thrust to the game.
Italy faced Portugal in a group A3 clash what was expected to be a mouthwatering clash. Mancini unleashed an almost new starting lineup with nine new faces in the side including Fiorentina attacker Federico Chiesa and Torino forward Simone Zaza.
The Azzurris who share spoils with Poland in the last match hardly looked threatening except a few occasions. It was Portugal who did all the running and dragging on the pitch and as a result Andre Silva scored the only solitary goal of the match just after the break.
Mancini said, “Portugal weren’t superior to us. They have players who are always at the top level and in the second half they played a lot of youngsters.
“I have to go down my road, and of course losing isn’t fun. (I’m happy) when my players put everything they have into a game, which they did against Portugal, we just have to be a bit more incisive.
“By the time the next games come around we will have players who are in better physical form. I have some players who I am certain will play, there aren’t many though. There are a lot of other players, some injured, who are also important for the team.
“I liked the fact we kept trying to the end, we took risks which almost resulted in us conceding, but we believed we could get back into the game until the very end.”
“We don’t like losing, and it is bad to lose, but it is also true that we have to take risks and get experience in games like these, otherwise it is hard to move forward quickly. We might come under more pressure, but that means nothing if you don’t try (to win).”
