Mancini and the revolution of baggage-free kids: Italy bets its future on carefreeness

The microphone in the Coverciano press room rattled softly before Mancini began to answer. He did not talk about formations, nor about possession. He talked about the baggage-free kids – his name for eight new call-ups to the Italy national team. I have seen a crack on the football map, and it does not begin in the group stage of a World Cup, but in the dressing room of the Azzurri. Because Mancini – once vilified by the tifosi as a traitor after walking away to Saudi Arabia – is now staging a bigger gamble than anything in his coaching career: he is placing the fate of a four-time world champion on the feet of players who have never known the feeling of elimination. Italy have missed three consecutive World Cups. For a country that has won the trophy four times, this is nothing less than a cultural shock. The Euro 2026 triumph under Mancini now feels like a distant memory; that Wembley night was full of joy, but now Wembley 2028 is the compass used by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Mancini for a four-year cycle. His return, after his time in charge of Saudi Arabia, is seen by many fans as a reinstated betrayal. He admits: the past counts for nothing. But the past is exactly what surrounds him: three failed World Cup campaigns, an ageing golden generation, and a football culture falling behind France, Spain and Belgium. Mancini understands that the problem is not tactical. No 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 can erase the psychological scar left by three consecutive failures. So he selected exactly eight debutants for this camp – players who have never lived through the suffocating atmosphere of losing qualifiers. They do not carry the psychological baggage of the past, Mancini said, and I want them to play like children. This is pure psychological strategy: lower expectations, remove prejudice, and create an environment where mistakes are part of growing up, not a sentence. Football history teaches us that successful generational transitions always begin with a jolt of belief. Spain 2026 did it after years of qualifying and quarter-final pain. Germany 2026 did it, when Joachim Low trusted Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller and young players who had never lifted a trophy. Mancini's Italy is on a similar path. But unlike his predecessors, he does not have time. The four upcoming Nations League matches – against Belgium, twice Turkey and France – are the harshest test for a team being reborn. Looking at the 34-man squad, I see a deliberate balance. Mancini is not reckless enough to throw the whole squad into revolution. He places new players alongside seasoned veterans, creating a mentorship structure. The older ones guide, the younger ones play free. That is a social design more than a tactical one. It is not that they are weak, we have just never been patient enough to hear them breathe – Mancini seems to say that through every training session, as he watches debutants handle the ball with ease while veterans stick to safe sideways passes. Data from recent training sessions suggests that newcomers like Matteo Ruggeri and Samuele Ricci operate at significantly higher intensity than the veteran group. They dare to dribble in tight spaces, they dare to attempt risky passes. Meanwhile, their elders often choose the safe solution. This is a generational gap not only in fitness but also in psychology. Mancini is not just picking people; he is picking a new emotional state for the team. He calls it controlled carefreeness – something he believes will allow Italy to play as a liberated group, rather than a team trying to avoid mistakes. One number makes me think: 34. That is the number of players called up. In an October Nations League window, a list that long is often used to cap-tie dual nationals and observe new faces ahead of World Cup qualifying. Mancini is widening the talent pool. Eight debutants represent the future. He does not expect all of them to shine; he just needs one or two to turn this camp into a springboard. That is the mindset of a long-term manager, not a coach chasing instant results. In a football world where managers are sacked after a few defeats, that kind of patience is a luxury. But football is not only psychology. Naivety can be costly against elite opponents. The late withdrawal of Federico Dimarco and Bryan Cristante because of injury has weakened the spine of the defence and midfield. Ruggeri and Ricci, their replacements, are brand new to the international stage. Can they stay calm against Kevin De Bruyne or Kylian Mbappe? The answer lies in how Mancini manages his personnel across four matches in a short period. The congested fixture list could wear down the newcomers and expose defensive gaps Italy has not yet repaired. While everyone is busy discussing Italy's youth revolution, I want to point out a blind spot: the carefreeness of youth can be an antidote, but it can also be an illusion that hides a lack of experience. Does removing psychological baggage mean denying the value of the players who took Italy to the top of Europe? Mancini is betting that a relaxed atmosphere will help young talents flourish, but football history shows that many young teams collapse under the defensive pressure of big sides. Belgium and France are not friendly opponents. They will attack the spaces in a rebuilt backline. And when mistakes happen, will this sleeping giant have the character to wake up, or will it sleep through another cycle? Three factors make this campaign different. First, unlike previous reshuffles, Mancini is not discarding the veterans entirely. He keeps them as anchors but changes their role: they are no longer the centre of the team but the guides. Second, he selected 34 players for one camp – a huge number – showing he wants real competition in every position. Third, he speaks of carefreeness as a selection criterion, which few coaches would openly admit. In a football culture known for pragmatism and pressure, this is a somewhat rebellious manifesto. I have often asked myself: what makes a great national team? Not a collection of stars, but a group sharing one breath. Italy of Euro 2026 had that breath. They defended as a block, attacked as a flow, and above all, they enjoyed the pressure. Three years later, that breath disappeared. Mancini is trying to recreate it with a new generation – players not yet wounded by recent failures. He wants them to blow a fresh wind through the team. But whether that wind is strong enough to shake the biggest teams in Europe, nobody can be sure. Italian media are split into two camps. One welcomes the boldness, calling it the necessary medicine. The other is sceptical, noting that Mancini has failed with young players at clubs like Inter and Manchester City; there is no evidence he can be patient with them in difficult times. But he does not care. He only cares whether his players dare to play the football they believe in. In that context, the four Nations League matches are not just four matches. They are four trials of a new approach to top-level football. I remember the pre-World Cup friendly in 2026 when Italy played Austria. The stadium went quiet in the second half, and so did the players. They had 65% possession but did not register a single shot on target after the 20th minute. That was not a tactical flaw; it was collective paralysis. Mancini wants to break that paralysis by injecting a group of players who have never known painful defeats. He calls them children without luggage – and that lightness is his greatest weapon. But that weapon can break if the team faces an opponent that presses Italy's defence from the first minute. Mancini says the past counts for nothing, but the past is what creates the greatest pressure. If the next four matches go badly, the wave of criticism will surge. Italy fans watched him leave for Saudi Arabia; they will not forgive him easily if he fails on his return. That is why the youth strategy is not only a professional decision, but also an act of political survival. He needs a quick result to restore his credibility, but he also needs a long-term vision to avoid repeating past mistakes. The ultimate question is not whether Italy can win the Nations League. The question is whether Mancini's baggage-free kids can pass on a new belief to the whole team – the belief that defeat is not a sentence, but only a part of the journey. I will watch this series not only through results, but through the way the newcomers run. If they play like truly free players, Italy can open a new successful cycle. If they shrink under pressure, Mancini's revolution will become a lesson in recklessness. This autumn, the crack on the football map will be healed – or widened into a bottomless pit.