Oriali warns Italy face difficult phase as Mancini returns: 'We need collective responsibility'

At Coverciano this afternoon, Italy held their first training session under Roberto Mancini after the coach returned to the helm. There was no welcome banner, no festive mood of a new era. What lingered in the press room was a cold warning from Gabriele Oriali, the team manager who had worked with Mancini during the Euro 2026 triumph. Oriali did not hesitate to tell Rai 2: “This is certainly not the best moment for Italian football. We know we are heading towards a difficult phase.” His words were reported by Football Italia and became the main message before Italy faced Belgium in the UEFA Nations League. The Belgium game takes place on Friday and will be Mancini’s first match after his return. The fixture list does not allow much time for experiments. After Belgium, Italy travel to Turkey on 28 September and then face France on 2 October. In three matches like these, Mancini will have to rotate and test the depth of his squad, but no team wants to start in a fragile state, especially against a Belgium side full of quality. Oriali said: “The players need to be aware of that. What matters is that everyone understands the moment, shares it, takes collective responsibility, along with respect and a bit of discipline. None of that ever hurts.” His words carry weight because he is not an outsider. He has been inside the Inter dressing room and has experienced both collapse and glory. When someone like him talks about collective responsibility, it is a lesson drawn from matches where one wrong breath can destroy a whole season. Looking at Italy over recent years, the team have not lacked individual talent. They have midfielders who can control the tempo, defenders with experience and forwards who can create a moment. But modern football is not decided by names alone. Teams once considered weaker now run more, press harder and prepare tactically in greater detail. A side built only around moments of individual brilliance can easily collapse against a well-drilled collective. The difficult phase Oriali mentioned has two roots. The first is the reality that elite football has changed. Fewer teams worship pure possession. Space is tighter, movement is faster, and physically strong sides can turn a match into a continuous test of concentration. Italy showed they could play proactive football when they won the European Championship, but after that moment of glory the cutting edge of the team was gradually worn away. The second root is emotional. When a team carries too many memories of honours, they easily fall into a mindset of protecting something instead of conquering something new. That makes them shrink in the moments that require boldness. Following Italy’s matches recently, I have noticed that the problem is not that they play badly. They still produce delicate combinations and still create chances. But when opponents push high, Italy’s midfielders often choose the safe option. They drop deep to receive the ball, slowing down the attack. They do not have a clear destination when carrying the ball in central areas. A team like that can control matches against weaker opponents, but will struggle against a side willing to press and fight. The Belgium match is therefore an important test. Belgium may no longer be among the leading contenders, but they still have players capable of changing the game. Italy need to control space rather than merely control the ball. They need to know when to drop, when to push high, and above all they need to believe in the system Mancini is building. Without that belief, tactical calculations become meaningless. There was another image that forced Oriali to speak this week. During a minute’s silence for Sandro Mazzola, a group of Juventus supporters turned their backs on the pitch. Oriali, a former Inter player, did not hide his anger. He recalled his first days at Pinetina, where Mazzola was one of those who welcomed him with open arms. “He once took me home after training and people could not believe it when they saw him. I only have beautiful memories of him as a team-mate and as a man. Not to mention he was also a great director who brought Ronaldo to Serie A.” For Oriali, Mazzola transcends the Inter badge. He is a symbol of Italian football. Turning a minute’s silence into a place of protest is unacceptable. “I hope these people are identified and removed from the stadium. That is a disgrace. There are heroes who go beyond the shirts they wear, and this was just an unfortunate act.” The story of the minute’s silence and the story of the team’s difficult phase may seem unrelated, but they share a common root. In Italy, football is often divided by colours. Supporters sing about the past, clubs defend their own records, and the national team sometimes becomes the last place to heal those fractures. Oriali understands that. When he talks about collective responsibility, he wants the whole football system to see the bigger picture. That is why he reacted strongly to the Juventus group. A minute’s silence may seem small, but turning their backs said a great deal about division. Mancini is returning at a difficult moment. He does not have a long period to test the squad, and pressure from fans and media is inevitable. But the comforting part is that he has a companion who understands the value of the dressing room. Oriali warned early so no one would be under illusions. He did not promise victory; he laid the mental foundation before any tactical idea was discussed. That may be the most important message before the Belgium match. In the end, football is not measured by numbers alone. A team does not win only because they pass more accurately, run more or have a stronger squad. They win when they dare to take responsibility in difficult moments, when they keep their breath between pressures, and when they trust the person next to them to move in the right direction. Italy had that at Euro 2026. Now they need to find it again in a phase Oriali describes as difficult. The match against Belgium will not answer every question. But it will show how Italy have chosen to face this period. If they step onto the pitch with hesitation and doubtful glances, Oriali’s warning has arrived at the right time. If they play with the same emotion and the same rhythm of movement, the difficult phase can become the place where they find themselves again. Italian football does not need beautiful promises. It needs a group ready to face the truth.