Observers are unaccustomed to seeing the national team perform in this manner. Italy defeated Turkey 1–4.

On the uneven surface of the Timsah Arena in Bursa, Turkey, on Monday evening, the notable development was that Italy played as a team – at least for fifty minutes, they played very well – and won 1–4 against the Turkish national team.

It must be acknowledged: we had not become accustomed to it. The question arises: is it all down to the Azzurri, or is this Turkish side simply a modest one that was poorly organised on the pitch?

It is a legitimate question. The gulf between the Italian national team at the Olimpico and that at the Timsah Arena is enormous – far greater than the 1,200 kilometres separating them as the crow flies, and certainly longer than the three days’ gap between the two matches. Perhaps Roberto Mancini had seen it coming when he spotted a glimmer of quality and pride in the second half against Belgium. Perhaps the national team led by Vincenzo Montella was simply an easy opponent. One does not rule out the other. The fact is that the manager has found a way to patch up some of the Azzurri’s problems, which are still there and remain a cause for concern, but are a little less so than before. Because, at the very least, the impression from Turkey was that the players have rediscovered the desire to run and give their all on the pitch. And compared to the last four years, that’s no small thing.

Roberto Mancini’s Italy played an excellent first half, which was entertaining at times. They went into the break 3–0 up, thanks to goals from Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi and Michael Kayode, without being troubled by their opponents’ play – or rather, lack of play. The second half began with a sense of impending disaster. The national team appeared to have lost their concentration and determination once again, and Barış Alper Yılmaz scored just two minutes into the second half. Three minutes later, however, the Turkish defence misplaced a pass; Nicolò Cambiaghi won the ball back, played it to Sandro Tonali, who produced one of the many fine moments he had yesterday – an angled shot that hit the post. Francesco Pio Esposito was there, capitalising on the Turkish defenders’ lapse in concentration, and headed home to make it 1–4.

Then Italy struggled, though never excessively. After fifty-five minutes of relative inactivity, Arda Güler stepped up his involvement, prompting Roberto Mancini to sigh, look around, and perhaps even feel a twinge of envy towards his counterpart. The manager does not have a player like that in his squad; a player who is genuinely skilful on the ball, with the flair and talent of a number 10 – we have not seen one like that in the blue shirt for quite some time. Mancini appeared restless for a few minutes, but soon returned to bellowing instructions, urging his players to maintain their distances and positions. All in all, it was half an hour of old-school football, with Italy doing reasonably well—not conceding a goal.

Now we just have to wait until Friday to see how things go against France on the third matchday of the Nations League. Let’s hope that the enthusiasm of the less experienced players has instilled a bit of a willingness to make sacrifices in the more experienced ones.