Mancini's Turkish split! Azzurri boss leaves Barella and Maldini at home to avoid flight nightmare

Italy head coach Roberto Mancini decided to split his 33-man squad, leaving key stars including Nicolo Barella and Daniel Maldini at Coverciano. The manager opted to spare ten players the arduous flight to Turkey to conserve energy for upcoming Nations League fixtures.

Italy head coach Roberto Mancini made a bold tactical decision by splitting his 33-man national squad ahead of their UEFA Nations League fixture against Turkey in Bursa. Rather than flying his full contingent to the Ataturk Spor Kompleksi, Mancini left ten players behind at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano.

A streamlined 23-man squad boarded the flight to Turkey to contest the away group fixture.

The strategic move aims to protect key players from unnecessary travel fatigue during a demanding international window.