The whole team closed in the locker room, a few minutes after the final whistle. Northern Ireland forces Italy to draw and with it to the playoffs to go to the World Cup, but Roberto Mancini continues to believe in qualification. At the end of the game the coach immediately gathered the team, went to call Bonucci and Berardi, still on the pitch for television interviews, and gave them a speech. The sense: today it went badly, we will qualify in March. A way to keep the group as strong as possible.
Then, to the microphones of RaisportMancini explained: “I told the boys that now we can’t do anything. Now we have the match in March, we will prepare well“. The coach spoke of a lack of clarity in front of goal:” This is a moment like this where we struggle. We had an opportunity in the first half, these are games to be unlocked immediately to play more relaxed. Too bad because the qualification had to be closed before this match. “Again, on what his national team is missing:” We just need to find what has distinguished us even up to now. The group had been kept in check, now we are recovering our strength “.
On the match against Bulgaria, drawn 1-1: “The match against Bulgaria was the first in September with two league games. The two penalties with Switzerland that could have ended in our favor. We will go to the World Cup in March and maybe then we will win it, I am totally confident “.
CONFERENCE – At the press conference, Mancini adds: “As of today, I think we will work with this group in view of March. I still believe we are a great team, we threw away a group that we had closed. We had the penalty in the 90th minute with Switzerland, score, win, score here and we are qualified. We have to play two games, the boys continue to be very good, if they find peace of mind for March … today we played well, they all got behind and it was difficult, in the second half with Switzerland who scored it put pressure on us. In March there will be two different matches, open, they will be from inside or outside, we will find teams that will play and I think we will certainly have many possibilities. I think we will go to the World Cup, now we can only think about this. There will be two games to play, we will try to do things well and we will succeed. The injured? This is a problem that everyone has, we have all been in football for a long time to understand that sometimes things don’t work out. Fortunately we still have a chance and we will try to exploit it. Playoffs? The new one is more complicated than the old formula, because you have to win two games. “
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