Mancini explains why he left Cisse and Liberali out of matchday squad for France

Mancini explains why he left Cisse and Liberali out of matchday squad for France Roberto Mancini has explained why he has decided to leave Alphadjo Cisse and Mattia Liberali out of the Italy matchday squad to face France on Thursday evening, says that both Esposito brothers have plenty of room for improvement and has compared playing football in San Siro to attending the opera at La Scala. Italy will be in Nations League action against France in San Siro on Thursday evening. As things stand ahead of kick-off, France lead the group on 10 points after four matches, Italy are in second on seven points, Belgium are in third on six and Turkey are last on zero. Italy and France played out a 1-1 draw when they met in Paris last month. Nicolo Fagioli of Italy and Ousmane Dembele of France compete in the Nations League MD3 (@azzurri) As this is a Nations League fixture, matchday squads are limited to 23, which means that Mancini has had to drop six players from the squad that he named for the November international break. There was disappointment among many supporters when it was confirmed that young attacking talents Cisse and Liberali will not be involved against France. Matteo Palma, Honest Ahanor, Federico Gatti and Niccolo Pisilli have also been left out of the squad to face France. Mancini has explained his thought process in an interview with Rai a few hours before kick-off. Mancini on Italy vs. France, Cisse and Liberali omissions and Esposito room for improvement BOLOGNA – OCTOBER 05: Roberto Mancini, Manager of Italy, looks on before the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Italy and Türkiye at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on October 05, 2026 in Bologna. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) “We’ll have to play a good game, otherwise the fans will be disappointed. We will have to try and play well and get a good result,” said Mancini in his interview with Rai on Thursday (via Gianluca Di Marzio ). “San Siro is always packed out when the national team comes. It’s one of the most beautiful grounds in Italy. Football history has been made here, it’s got over 100 years of history. Playing football in San Siro really is like being at La Scala.” We know it will be a difficult game. Regardless of the fact that France are without some important players, they are still a great team. I hope that we make fewer mistakes and improve on certain in-game situations.” Mancini went on to discuss his defensive unit. Though Italy do not have a Maldini, Baresi or Cannavaro in their ranks at the moment, the CT feels that he has plenty of young talent coming through the ranks. LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Giovanni Leoni of Liverpool controls the ball whilst under pressure from Leo Scienza of Southampton during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield on September 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) “Italy have had some of the greatest defenders in history, so it’s quite difficult to reach those levels. But, I think we have good defenders and we have to work with them. Behind Bastoni and Scalvini, who are still young but have been playing for some time, there are three or four other good options. Palma will be a great defender for me, as will Leoni, as will Ahanor.” Mancini also had positive things to say about Davide Frattesi, whose Lazio side sit alone at the top of the Serie A standings and remain unbeaten in the league after 11 matches. “He’s playing with consistency at Lazio, he’s found his identity. He’s doing well, he’s playing, he’s in a good mindset. Right now, he’s one of our best in terms of recent performances.” ITALY – OCTOBER 28: Alphadjo Cisse of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Bologna FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 28, 2026 in Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Mancini also explained his decision to leave Cisse and Liberali out of the squad to face France. “It’s a decision we had to make, and anyway, they were the latest to arrive and we have another game in three days time, so that’s the choice we made. There are 28 of us, and unfortunately, some have to go and sit in the stands.” And when asked about the Esposito brothers, Mancini said: “Both have to grow. Pio is younger, so he still has a lot of room to grow and improve. In my opinion, he has a lot of room for improvement. Seba is a different type of player, he did well when he came on, but he can give us much more.”