A documentary called Sogno Azzurro, which covered the entire tournament and behind-the-scenes, was aired by RAI 1 last evening. Italian coach Roberto Mancini was seen talking to his Italy squad as Italy vs England team talk revealed.
The documentary showed scenes of the Italy players and staff preparing for the final against England at Wembley. Ultimately, the Azzurri team won the final match of the European tournament on penalties. Former Italian manager Gianluca Vialli said “When you reach the Final, more than joy, victory becomes a sort of sense of relief. The coach told me there would be no problem before the Belgium game, he was a little less confident ahead of Spain, so he’s always right!”
The footage of Mancini’s pre-match pep talk was far shorter than any of the other matches and he indeed seem confident. “This would seem to be their formation, but it changes absolutely nothing as far as we are concerned,” noted Mancini after the early reports Southgate would switch from 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2. “We are here to play our game.”
“I don’t need to tell you anything, you know who you are. It’s not a fluke that we are here. We are in control of our own destiny. Not the referee, not the opponent, nobody. You know what you need to do. You are a strong team. So good luck.”
Throughout the penalty shootout, the documentary showed Vialli with his back to the goal and his gaze fixed on the crowd. When he realized Donnarumma had saved the crucial kick, he turned around and joined in the celebrations.
Check the video here.