For the second time in a row Italy won't be part of the World Cup. In 2017 it was Sweden, this time it was North Macedonia that kicked the Azzurri out of the most important soccer competition in the semifinal of the playoffs. Italy didn't even survive long enough to face Portugal in a winner take all battle between two powerhouses looking to go to Qatar. Instead they got bitten by a minnow that was +1700 to win at kickoff (odds courtesy of Casesars Sportsbook). This is obviously the team's worst moment since Roberto Mancini became the coach of the National Team in May 2018. It is also, bafflingly, the same team, and almost the same roster, that only nine months ago won the UEFA Euro 2020, defeating Belgium, Spain and England in the process.
While the final blow might have come against North Macedonia at the Renzo Barbera in Palermo, it's not as relevant as what happened in the months leading up to it. An Italian side coming off of a dominant summer in 2021 should never have been in position to have to fight for their lives in a playoff to begin with. Italy lost confidence, quality and the ambition that were key to winning the Euros last summer. This terrible day didn't come out of the blue, it started last September when Italy failed to win against Bulgaria, Switzerland and Northern Ireland. Italy became arrogant, thinking that after winning Euros qualifying for the World Cup would take care of itself. Well, it didn't. And this is just the final proof of it. The faces of this failure are different from the ones of 2017. Some players are different, and some are the same, but the truth is that mainly this is a failure of Roberto Mancini. The same man that was the main reason why Italy won last summer, now he's responsible for what happened. Deeply responsible. So rarely are such highs and such lows encompassed within the same figure.
Italy's roster had some issues, there were some key players injured such as Leonardo Spinazzola or Federico Chiesa. But this can't be enough to justify the disaster of this loss. Mancini had some options but decided to not even call in players like Nicolò Zaniolo or Mattia Zaccagni, who could at least have been helpful bench options. He insisted on playing with Ciro Immobile upfront, who clearly was not the perfect striker for this team. Even at the Euros Italy won more despite him than because of him.
And while it's true that no Italian would swap the victory of last summer for a win against North Macedonia, that fact doesn't justify or excuse this failure. Fans, media and an entire county will demand a change and they'll be right to. Maybe a new coach will be the answer, but we'll have to wait years to find out. Roberto Mancini even after all his good work still failed to bring Italy back to the World Cup. Sadly, the new cycle the World Cup cycle that started in 2017 after the last failure, concluded with the same result, Euro glory notwithstanding.
Italy's coach spoke after the match and said that his future will be discussed in the next weeks: "We will see. Now I feel too disappointed to speak about my future, we will see. I'm sure this team has a great future. I'm supporting these players now more than ever".
Mancini may be sure this team has a great future, but it's hard to ignore just how bleak it's recent World Cup past is. Italy won't play in a World Cup for at least twelve years and we are talking about the country with the second most World Cup wins in the world with four. Amazingly the Azzurri's last knockout game at the World Cup was the final they won in 2006 against France and the next time that this team will have another opportunity will be in 2026. An entire generation of young Italians that have never saw their team play in the World Cup will ask for a change now. Sadly, this result means the win at the Euros will be easily forgotten by many. Yesterday they may have been the best in the world, but the cold reality of sports today is the only thing that counts. And today Italy aren't going to the World Cup.
