Italy coach Roberto Mancini said his new Azzurri squad is taking shape nicely after the first four games of his second stint on charge of the national team during the extended international break for Nations League fixtures.
    Italy are second in Group A1 with seven points after they beat Turkey 3-1 in Bologna on Monday thanks to goals by Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori and Pio Esposito, three behind leaders France and one ahead of Belgium in third.
    They need to finish in the top two to qualify for the quarter-finals.
    Mancini selected a young squad and blooded several new players during the four games, which also featured a 2-0 home defeat to Belgium in Rome, an impressive 4-1 win over Turkey in Bursa and a 1-1 draw with the mighty French in Paris.
    "I am happy to see the group taking shape, a really great group, with talents who are developing and will continue to develop," Mancini, who is seeking to take Italy back where they belong after three consecutive failures to qualify for the World Cup, said after Monday's match.
    "We have to keep playing; we're currently second, and we'll likely have to fight to secure that second spot in Belgium".
   
   

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA