Roberto Mancini Names Bold Italy Squad for Nations League

Roberto Mancini’s first Italy squad has landed with a jolt rather than a whisper. Daniel Maldini is in, Rolando Mandragora is back from the international wilderness, and Chelsea’s Marco Palestra has been left at home.

Italy face a demanding Nations League block: Belgium on September 25, Turkiye on September 28, France on October 2, then Turkiye again on October 5. The group wraps up with France on November 12 and a final trip to Belgium on November 15. Mancini has used it as a reset, calling up nine new faces and making several bold, headline-grabbing choices.

Maldini in despite off‑field storm

The biggest talking point is Maldini. His inclusion had been in serious doubt after a recent car accident that saw his driving licence suspended when he tested narrowly over the alcohol limit. The incident sparked controversy and raised questions over whether Mancini would risk the distraction.

Reports had even claimed Maldini had failed a drugs test. Those stories have since been confirmed as inaccurate, with all toxicology tests returning negative. Cagliari have backed him publicly and intend to start him in their next Serie A match this weekend. Mancini has now followed suit, signalling faith in the player’s response to a difficult spell.

Palestra left out

On the other side of the ledger, Palestra misses out. The Chelsea man had been widely tipped to be excluded, and so it proved. An injury in pre-season has delayed his competitive debut for the Premier League club, and with no minutes on the board, his case was always fragile. For now, he will have to watch this Nations League campaign from London.

Old faces, new chapter

Mancini has not only turned to youth and novelty. There are notable returns as well.

Nicolò Fagioli and Nicolò Zaniolo are back in the Italy setup for the first time since October 2024. Fagioli, now at Fiorentina, has seven senior caps and remains a midfielder Mancini trusts in tight spaces and tense games.

Zaniolo’s relationship with the Azzurri is already a story in itself. Mancini famously gave him his first call-up before the attacking midfielder had even played a single Serie A match. He now sits on 19 caps, the latest coming in a friendly against Ecuador in March 2024. His last competitive appearance, though, dates back to November 2023 against Ukraine. This recall hands him another chance to reassert himself on the international stage.

Mandragora’s five‑year wait ends

The most remarkable name on the list is Rolando Mandragora. The new Torino midfielder returns to the Italy squad for the first time since March 2021, ending a gap of over five years between call-ups.

Mandragora’s international story has been frozen in time since June 2018, when he earned his first and so far only senior cap in a 3-1 friendly defeat to France. Now 29, he has forced his way back into Mancini’s thinking and into a midfield pool that suddenly looks far more competitive.

Mancini’s first squad of this new cycle is not cautious, not conservative, and certainly not quiet. It carries risk, controversy, and opportunity in equal measure. The Nations League will show whether those gambles turn into the foundation of Italy’s next era or the start of another round of searching.