{
  "id": 10468324,
  "title": "Stramaccioni defends Italy boss Mancini: ‘Ridiculous to criticise a coach after three days’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/stramaccioni-defends-italy-boss-mancini-ridiculous-to-criticise-a",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-28T14:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/stramaccioni-defends-italy-boss-mancini-145500821.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Andrea Stramaccioni has defended Italy manager Roberto Mancini, urging patience while acknowledging the coach cannot simply replicate the system that led Italy to Euro 2020. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Stramaccioni criticized the swift reactions to Italy's 0-2 loss against Belgium, stating it is \"ridiculous\" to judge a coach after just three days at Coverciano. The former Inter coach highlighted the team's lack of preparation in the first half, but praised the second-half comeback and the goals by Lukebakio. Stramaccioni expressed disappointment with the performance of Alessandro Romano, but defended him, noting that everyone was to blame except goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. He identified a core of players Mancini must rely on, including Donnarumma, Bastoni, Tonali, Barella, Kean, and Pio Esposito. The coach also mentioned the potential growth of Doumbia and Zoma. Stramaccioni emphasized the importance of finding the right midfield balance, implementing the 4-3-3 system tailored to the players' abilities, and finding the \"alchemy in midfield\" that Mancini seeks. He expects a challenging match against Turkey in Bursa, citing Montella's defensive approach and the team's strength in wide areas.",
  "summary": "Andrea Stramaccioni has urged patience with Italy boss Roberto Mancini while arguing that the coach cannot simply reprise the system that won Euro 2020, because the players available to him are differ...",
  "key_points": [
    "Stramaccioni defends Mancini, urges patience after Italy's loss.",
    "Criticizes swift reactions to Italy's 0-2 defeat against Belgium.",
    "Highlights core players Mancini must rely on for Italy's next match."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}