Italy's struggles after failing
to qualify for this year's World Cup continued on Monday when
they failed to impress in a 1-0 defeat to Portugal in the UEFA
Nations League.
The Azzurri were careless with possession on several
occasions and were unable to pose a serious threat to the
European champion in Lisbon.
The defeat follows Friday's 1-1 with Poland in the same
competition, which was Italy's first competitive match under new
coach Roberto Mancini.
"The players gave all they could, but to win you need to
score goals so we must find a remedy," said Mancini.
"When you reach certain levels it is only natural to
struggle.
"Our fitness will be better in October and this is positive.
However, the issue of goals is still there and we must resolve
it.
"We made mistakes, and we must try to limit them and also
give our all.
"You always need to score to win, so you need to find the
right solutions".
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