Mancini's Turkish split! Azzurri boss leaves Barella and Maldini at home to avoid flight nightmare

Italy head coach Roberto Mancini made a bold tactical decision by splitting his 33-man national squad ahead of their UEFA Nations League fixture against Turkey in Bursa. Rather than flying his full contingent to the Ataturk Spor Kompleksi, Mancini left ten players behind at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano.

A streamlined 23-man squad boarded the flight to Turkey to contest the away group fixture.

The strategic move aims to protect key players from unnecessary travel fatigue during a demanding international window.

The ten players remaining in Florence include Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella, Monza forward Daniel Maldini, and Roma defender Gianluca Mancini. They are joined by Honest Ahanor, Diego Coppola, Samuele Inacio, Eddy Kouadio, Massimo Pessina, Samuele Ricci, and Mohamed Ali Zoma.

Mancini organized a specialized training and physical recovery program at Coverciano to maintain peak match fitness for the omitted group.

The resting players continue working with technical and medical staff members Massimo Maccarone, Cristiano Lupatelli, Giulio Nuciari, and Luca Bossi.

Mancini's squad division mimics high-performance load management approaches used across elite European football. By sparing ten players a demanding round trip to Bursa, the coaching staff ensured half the squad remains fresh for upcoming Nations League encounters.

Italy face a high-stakes trip to Paris to play France on October 2, before returning home to host Turkey in Bologna on October 5.

The technical team prioritized energy conservation to maximize performance across all three international matches.

The 23 players selected for the trip complete matchday preparations in Bursa ahead of Sunday evening's encounter against Vincenzo Montella's Turkey. The match kicks off at 20:45 Italian time.

Following the final whistle in Bursa, the traveling squad returns to Italy to reunite with the Coverciano group.

Mancini then prepares his full 33-man roster for the upcoming trip to face France in Paris.

Click here to read article