Mancini's second act starts against Belgium

Mancini's return is the story before a ball is kicked. The man who won Euro 2020 with Italy is back in the dugout, and according to Football Italia, this Belgium fixture doubles as his second debut in charge of the national team. That framing matters: Mancini left the job before, and whatever comes next will be read against that record.

Zaniolo left out

Zaniolo will not feature against Belgium, per Football Italia, though the reporting does not specify whether that comes down to injury, a tactical call, or something else entirely. For a player who has spent recent seasons trying to force his way back into the Italy picture after a difficult stretch, missing Mancini's first squad selection is not a great look, whatever the reason turns out to be.

His absence also puts a spotlight on who Mancini trusts to fill the gaps further forward, and on how quickly the new manager wants to stamp his own selections on a squad rebuilding after a rough qualifying cycle.

Kean's chance at history

Moise Kean has an opportunity to make Italy history against Belgium, according to Football Italia, though the exact record on the line is not detailed in the reporting. What is clear is the stakes: a milestone performance in Mancini's first game back would be the kind of moment that follows a player around for a while.

Kean has had his share of stop-start Azzurri spells, in and out of squads, in and out of favour with different coaches. A defining night against Belgium, in front of a new manager trying to reset the whole project, is exactly the kind of opportunity that either gets remembered or gets forgotten fast.

A fresh chapter, immediately under pressure

Belgium are a serious litmus test for any new era. Mancini's first act with Italy ended in continental glory before it unravelled into a painful qualifying exit, and his second debut arrives with the country watching to see whether that same identity, that same courage in possession, can be rebuilt from a squad short one of its more talked-about young forwards.

None of this gets settled by kickoff. But Zaniolo's absence and Kean's opportunity give this Nations League opener a personal edge that a routine fixture between two European heavyweights wouldn't normally carry.