When Italy Suddenly Looked Like Italy Again

Hello everyone!
Sometimes three days are enough to make a team look completely different.
That is what happened to Italy in Bursa.
After the defeat against Belgium, there was a familiar feeling around the national team: uncertainty, questions about Roberto Mancini, questions about the players and doubts about whether this new project could really work.
Then Italy travelled to Türkiye and produced one of those first halves that immediately changes the conversation.
Not because everything is suddenly fixed. It is not.
But because, for a while, Italy looked confident again.
The ball moved quickly, the pressing was more convincing and the attacks had a sense of purpose that had been missing in Rome. The final score was 4-1, but the most interesting part was not simply the number on the scoreboard.
It was the feeling of the performance.
Mancini made eight changes from the team that had lost to Belgium.
That is a significant decision, especially after a defeat in the opening match of a new cycle. He could have relied on familiar names and tried to make the team safer. Instead, he trusted younger players and built a different attacking structure.
For me, one of the most enjoyable details was seeing Sebastiano and Pio Esposito start together for Italy.
Football history is full of famous brothers, but only a small number of brothers have shared the pitch for the senior Italian national team. The Esposito brothers have now joined that special group.
It was more than a nice family story. Their presence also said something about the direction Mancini wants to explore.
Italy cannot rebuild itself only by looking backwards. At some point, new players have to be given real responsibility.
Then there was Michael Kayode.
A first appearance for Italy, a starting place, an aggressive performance and a goal. You could hardly ask for a more memorable debut.
His goal for 3-0 was especially important because it captured what was different about Italy. Pio Esposito found him with a well-timed pass, Kayode attacked the space and finished without hesitation.
It was a simple, direct piece of football, but it made the team look brave.
Those are the moments that make supporters think about possibilities instead of problems.
And perhaps that is what this young Italy needs most right now: possibilities.
The first half was not perfect, but it was energetic and convincing. Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring, Davide Frattesi added the second and Kayode made it three before the break. Italy had built a comfortable lead and, for once, looked like the team asking all the questions.
The second half brought reality back.
Türkiye scored soon after the restart and Italy suddenly looked less comfortable. The defensive line dropped deeper, the hosts found more space and a few nervous moments began to appear.
This was the reminder that one excellent half does not erase every weakness.
Then Pio Esposito scored the fourth.
The goal restored the distance immediately and changed the mood again. It also gave the match a more balanced meaning.
There were good things to celebrate, but there were still details for Mancini to correct. Italy must learn how to control matches after momentum changes, especially against opponents who are capable of putting pressure on the defence.
That is why I would not describe this result as proof that everything has been solved.
It was a very important response, but it was still only one performance.
The next challenge will be France in Paris, at the Stade de France.
France have already collected six points from two matches, while Italy now have three. The meeting will therefore tell us much more than the result in Bursa.
Nobody should expect one evening to provide all the answers. But if Italy can play against France with the same courage and intensity shown in Türkiye, the direction of the project will become easier to understand.
For me, that is the most interesting thing about this team.
It is not finished.
It has not suddenly become a great side because of one victory.
It is a team being rebuilt, with young players asking for space and Mancini trying to find the right balance between experience and freshness.
That balance will not be easy.
Experienced players can provide stability, but younger players can bring energy and unpredictability. Against Türkiye, Mancini decided to give that freshness a real opportunity, and the response was immediate.
Sometimes rebuilding a national team means accepting that the first answers will come from unexpected places.
In Bursa, one of those answers was Kayode.
Another was Pio Esposito.
Another was Sebastiano.
And perhaps the biggest answer was simply the way the whole team reacted after the defeat to Belgium.
Three days earlier, Italy had looked lost.
In Bursa, they looked alive.
Now we will see what happens in Paris.
Can Italy carry this confidence into the match against France?
What did you think of Mancini’s changes and the performance in Bursa?

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Sources
FIGC — Azzurri beat Türkiye 4-1 in Bursa
BBC Sport — Roberto Mancini gets first win on Italy return
Reuters — France win in Belgium, Italy beat Türkiye 4-1

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