Baldini: ‘Mancini left us our best players for Poland, Barzagli a pleasant surprise’

Italy Under-21 head coach Silvio Baldini praised senior manager Roberto Mancini for releasing top players for crucial qualifiers and commended assistant Andrea Barzagli's humility. Following a 6-2 victory over Poland in Pescara that secured qualification for the Under-21 European Championship, Baldini spoke in an interview regarding the team's strong collaboration with the senior setup and his ambitions to win both the upcoming tournament and the 2028 Olympics.

Baldini addressed several squad matters, including praising Cher Ndour's spectacular 70-yard goal and denying nepotism regarding his son Mattia's role on the coaching staff. He also highlighted Claudio Ranieri's motivational role and revealed that forward Pio Esposito expressed a clear desire to feature for the Under-21 side next summer.