Silvio Baldini Praises Italy U21 Squad and Coaching Staff Amid EURO Ambitions

Italy U21 head coach Silvio Baldini says there is a mutual level of respect with CT Roberto Mancini, who ‘left us our best players for Armenia and Poland’, and says that former Juventus defender Andrea Barzagli has been a ‘pleasant surprise’ on his coaching staff.

The Azzurrini head coach spoke in-depth about Italy’s qualification for the U21 European Championship, his relationship with Mancini and Claudio Ranieri, and the fact that Pio Esposito wants to play with the junior side next summer in a recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

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Baldini on Italy U21s success, relationship with Mancini and hopes of winning at the EUROs and Olympics

Baldini and the Italy U21s ended their EUROs qualification campaign in impressive fashion, smashing Poland 6-2 in Pescara, overtaking their opposition into first place in their group and claiming a guaranteed spot at the final tournament in the process.

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The standout moment was a spectacular, instinctive 70-yard strike from Fiorentina midfielder Cher Ndour, which has already been tipped as a contender for the Puskas award.

Baldini says that he has “never” seen a goal like it in his career.

“Never,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’m happy to be able to say that I saw such a phenomenal goal from a special player like Ndour.”

Baldini was asked for an insight into his thought process as a manager.

He explained: “It’s like speaking in front of 10 people who speak 10 different languages. To make yourself understood, you need to speak in the way they understand. I only speak Italian, but you have to alter it depending on the person in front of you. I can give you an example.

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“Because of the injuries to Favasuli and Fortini, we brought Ahanor in from the senior national team to cover ourselves against Poland’s counter-attack. Ahanor played [at full-back], but at times it was like he was playing as a winger, so I had to raise my voice at him.

“I could tell from his expression that I wasn’t helping him. So, at the end of the first half, I went over to give him a hug and calmly explained to him that he needed to cover for Pisilli and Liberali. I wanted him to understand that I wasn’t scolding him.

“Other players, on the other hand, need to feel that reprimand to understand where they’re going wrong.”

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And what is the main message that he would like to transmit to his players?

“As I always tell them, they shouldn’t think about becoming rich and famous, but that they should always look for that happiness in football that they had as children, when they only did it for fun. And that they have to behave well, on the pitch as well. Not like that ball boy in Armenia.”

Baldini went on to discuss his relationship with his son, Mattia, who serves as a coach with the Italy U21s. He insists that there is no nepotism going on here.

“Professionaly, he is not my son. He doesn’t have any extra privileges or responsibilities. I see that he gets on well with the staff, with the players. He gets a lot of love and affection.

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“They think he’s only there because he’s my son, but he’s not. When I brought him to Palermo, the sporting director Castagnini preferred that I didn’t. I brought him in at my own expense. That was in January.

“In March they called him into the headquarters and said that it wasn’t fair him working for free. They gave him a little bit, but that little bit had a lot of value because it meant that he had earned recognition for his work. And he 100% deserves to be with the U21s.”

Andrea Barzagli is also part of the Italy U21 coaching set-up.

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“That’s been a pleasant surprise,” Baldini said. “I would never have believed that somebody with his playing CV would have this level of humility, as if he’d played as an amateur and was still trying to learn the trade.

“He has all my respect and in technical discussions, he’s the one who gives out instructions and explanations, not me. He’s great and if he gets a good sporting director, he will also have a great career as a head coach.”

And what about his relationship with the head coach of the senior Italy side, Mancini?

“There’s a lot of collaboration. After all, he did leave us our best players for the matches against Armenia and Poland. Aside from that, we get on and there is mutual respect. When he was the head coach three years ago, I told him I’d like to coach the U21s. He backed me, but in the end the federation decided to go for somebody else.

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“And between me and him we have a key figure in Claudio Ranieri. He was with us in Pescara and was able to motivate the whole squad with his experience.”

It is set to be an exciting few years for the Italy U21s with the European Championships and a potential appearance at the 2028 Olympics on the horizon over the next two summers. Baldini has big aspirations for both competitions.

“I had hoped to get to the EUROs and now we are going. Now I hope to win it, then go to the Olympics and win them,” he insisted.

“We have players who are technically sound, and if they play like they did against Poland the other night and show that desire to work as a team, those two things are definitely feasible.”

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Lastly, Baldini was asked if he will try to take any of the eligible members of the senior Italy squad with him to the U21 EUROs next summer. He hinted that there is a chance of seeing Pio Esposito feature, but probably not the likes of Marco Palestra, Michael Kayode or Alessandro Romano.

“I’ll keep the ones that I have, my boys. The only one who has given me his availability is Pio if he’s not too busy with the senior national team. When we left off in June, he told me he wanted to play in the European Championship because he’d also missed it two years earlier. We hope that there are no hitches and that they’ll leave him with us.”