UEFA Nations League: 5 takeaways from the first round of games

#4 Italy’s rebuilding will be long and painful

Mancini's rebuilding process for Italy will be long and painful

If the evidence presented in its first two UEFA Nations League games is anything to go by, Italy has a long and difficult climb to look forward to.

In Roberto Mancini’s first two competitive games, the Azzurri looked a long way off being a top tier side. Italy dominated by teams i.e. Poland and Portugal which moved the ball faster and had an identity.

Were it not for woeful finishing by the Poles, the team would be bottom with no point at this moment. Credit to Mancini, he has tried different things to make the team click faster.

However, the atrophy that set in a long time ago will take a while to heal. The lack of game time at club level is not helping Mancini's cause. Davide Zappacosta is a perennial bench warmer at Chelsea yet seems to be the team’s first choice right-back. Same goes for club-mate Emerson Palmieri.

There were good performances by the likes of Gigi Donnarumma, Jorginho and others. However, the Azzurri are a long way off from the dominant giants they once were. It’s going to take concerted efforts to get them back into the top echelon.