After missing the FIFA World Cup in 2018, the Italian national team is on the road to redemption. Roberto Mancini’s squad is looking to qualify for next year’s tournament and have a good showing at UEFA Euro 2020.
Mancini is looking at all the players at various positions and ultimately determining which players the 56-year-old will count on in essential fixtures.
One of the positions that Mancini will want to see how the competition plays out is the striker role. The names likely competing for the starting job are Lazio’s Ciro Immobile and Torino FC’s Andrea Belotti.
During an interview with Tuttosport (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Franco Causio spoke about who should get the nod for Italy at striker, especially at the Euro’s this summer. For Causio, there’s no question that when Immobile is healthy and in form, he’s the guy for Italy.
In attack Immobile or Belotti? When Ciro is in shape, he is number one. However, Mancini is a coach who changes tactics during a match. Depending on the formation, maybe he will also need both of them together. I think having different patterns during the 90 minutes is very important; Mancini is flexible.
Immobile scored for Italy in their opening fixture for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Northern Ireland (in a 2-0 victory). However, against Bulgaria, Belotti started and scored in another 2-0 win. Therefore, it seems like Mancini is giving both players a chance to fight for the number one spot.
