Portugal 1-0 Italy: 5 Talking Points, UEFA Nations League 2018/19

#1 Mancini has numerous things to sort out

Mancini's reign has endured a difficult start

Prior to kickoff, Italian head coach Roberto Mancini decided to make nine changes to his starting XI with Mario Balotelli being the notable omission. However, squad rotation by the former Manchester City boss did infuse any freshness into the lineup as Mancini had hoped for.

In his post-match interview, Mancini said, "The players gave all they could, but to win you need to score goals so we must find a remedy. We made mistakes, and we must try to limit them. I didn't enjoy the defeat, but I did like the team's desire to keep trying right until the end, even if they were at risk of conceding a second goal."

After their defeat on Monday night, Italy are placed in the bottom of the Group 3 League A phase in the UEFA Nations League and Mancini has a lot of things to sort out before next month's fixture against Poland.

It's important that the 53-year-old settles on his best starting XI before the next game as too much chopping and changing can affect the morale of the dressing room.

After his dismal outing against Poland last week, it may in the best interest of the entire team if someone like Balotelli is not included in the future as his mediocre performances possibly could have a negative effect on the rest of the players as well.