Roberto Mancini has expressed remorse about Italy's failure to stable automated World Cup qualification and warned the Azzurri must overlook approximately their Euro 2020 success beforehand of the playoffs.
Italy, who overlooked out at the 2018 World Cup, have passed through a transformative period below former Inter and Manchester City manager Mancini. That culminated in them winning at Euro 2020 – their first European Championship identify due to the fact 1968.
The Azzurri embarked on a world-document 37-recreation unbeaten run, which ended on the hands of Spain within the Nations League semi-finals in October, however their World Cup potentialities dangle in the stability.
Italy finished runners-up to Switzerland in Group C, as did Portugal to Serbia in Group A. The pair were then drawn at the equal play-off direction, that means there is no way that Mancini's facet and Cristiano Ronaldo and co can both qualify for Qatar 2022.
Italy have to navigate beyond North Macedonia in the play-off semi-very last in past due March and Mancini needs his facet had controlled to verify qualification earlier.
He instructed Sky Sports Italia: "Yes, however this is football, it's miles recreation. Sometimes you deserve to win and you do not win, we deserved to complete the group lots earlier.
"We permit ourselves move a piece and now we must roll up our sleeves and do a first-rate activity within the games. But I stay optimistic, as I knew that our institution with Switzerland would be tough. I concept we would qualify, however I knew it might be hard."
Reflecting on Euro 2020 fulfillment, Mancini said: "We have achieved an superb thing, we've made hundreds of thousands of people happy. It is the most lovely thing, of which we are all proud.
"But the European Championship is at the back of us, now we have to think about some thing else."
The play-offs are one-leg ties, with Italy and Portugal web hosting North Macedonia and Turkey in their respective semi-finals.
