Italy’s performance was a betrayal of Mancini’s ideas – Sacchi

faced

in their seventh World cup qualification clash on Friday. The Azzurri had the chance to come out of the pitch with a late victory as they were awarded a penalty kick in the 90

th

minute, but

could not find the back of the net and the match ended in a 1-1 result.

Former Italy coach

Arrigo Sacchi

criticized the Azzurri after the match, saying their performance was ‘a betrayal of Mancini’s ideas’.

"Perhaps the Azzurri had made us feel too comfortable, because the team went onto the pitch against Switzerland visibly tense,”

Sacchi wrote in the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“We hope Italy haven’t fallen into the trap of success, which means thinking yourself unbeatable regardless of effort.

“Italian teams, in general, have always given their best when fearing the opponent or struggling.”

He added:

“The Azzurri, especially in the first half, put in a performance that was a betrayal of Roberto Mancini’s ideas.

“We saw them dominate in the second half, but the scoring opportunities were still few and far between. Sandro Tonali and Domenico Berardi made an important impact off the bench, as Berardi was perhaps the only one of the strikers who really caused problems for the Swiss defense.

“It won’t be easy against Northern Ireland, but Mancini has given this team a style of football and some ideas that we’ve rarely seen in our game.”

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