Mancini's Italy squad is the youngest in history

Roberto Mancini's latest Italy squad is the youngest he has selected during his tenure. Even if 17-year-old Riccardo Cassano and 18-year-old Simone Lontani are left out of the count, the picture does not change. The squad also includes young players such as Honest Ahanor (18), Matteo Palma (18) and Mattia Liberali (19).

Mancini announced a 31-player squad for the November Nations League matches. Italy will face France on Thursday evening and Belgium on Sunday evening. Cassano and Lontani will train with the senior national team for a few days, then return to the U18 and U19 teams, where they are expected to get playing time during this break.

With Cassano and Lontani excluded, the squad's average age is 24 years and 171 days. The oldest player in the squad is 30-year-old Guglielmo Vicario. Nicolò Barella is second at 29, followed by 28-year-old Federico Gatti and Federico Dimarco.

According to the writer, the real problem is not talent. He claims that Serie A clubs are unwilling to play these young players and are obsessed with average foreign players. Mattia Liberali is cited as an example. Liberali started his first match and scored a fine goal, then came off the bench to score in the Champions League, yet was sent back to the bench again. The writer says he is frustrated by coaches' lack of courage.