Mancini backs Romano after tough Italy debut

A sleepless night and a chastening first cap, but Roberto Mancini is not about to discard his young midfielder.

A. Romano

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What happened. Alessandro Romano endured a difficult first cap for Italy against Belgium, struggling to sleep afterwards and spending the next afternoon with family at the team hotel. Despite the mixed performance, Roberto Mancini kept him on at half-time rather than let the debutant take the blame.

• Gazzetta dello Sport reported Romano was happy but bitter about how the game went.
• Senior players like Barella and Tonali were equally poor, shouldering more responsibility.
• Romano chose Italy over Switzerland despite playing for Swiss youth teams.

“He is happy, but at the same time bitter about how things went.”

— those close to Romano

Romano is unlikely to feature in Bursa, but Paris or Bologna should bring another chance.

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