Vergara starts on the bench for Italy but Mancini has plans for him

The Napoli midfielder is not in the starting XI for Turkey-Italy, but the head coach has spoken to him often this week and is weighing a second-half introduction to change the game.

by Gennaro SanninoMonday 28 September, 20:24 CET· 2 hours ago

Vergara con la maglia del SSC Napoli — Foto: napolissimo.it

Vergara starts on the bench for Italy's game away to Turkey in Bursa on Monday 28 September. Di Lorenzo is also out of the starting XI, with Kayode starting in his place. For the Napoli midfielder, though, the night is not over before it begins: Mancini sees him as a weapon to use once the match is under way.

The logic behind Mancini's squad selections explains why Vergara made the group despite limited minutes since September: the head coach picks players mainly on technical quality and tactical fit, not other criteria. Under Allegri, Vergara has barely played this season and has become, in effect, a classic under-23 fed onto the pitch sparingly, often left out by the coach. His place in Mancini's squad instead reflects what he showed during the month and a half Conte was still in charge at Napoli.

Mancini has spoken to him often this week, a sign he has him in mind for the second half. Even from the bench, Mancini wants a playmaker capable of solving the game when things get difficult, and that profile is what makes a second-half introduction a real possibility.

Tactically, there is room for him: in Italy's 4-3-3, Vergara could play as a central midfielder, potentially in place of Tonali, or as an attacking wide player. That dual option increases the chances Mancini genuinely turns to him during the match.

If the introduction comes, it will be Vergara's first appearance for the senior national team, even from the bench — a moment that carries weight given how little room he currently has under Allegri at Napoli. The contrast is worth noting: a national team coach is ready to build the game around a player his own club uses so sparingly in the league. It is not for us to settle that question, but Monday's game in Bursa may start to bring it into focus, if Mancini does turn to Vergara in the second half.