IT
ENA new chapter opens for the national team, and the first list — a pre-call-up, not yet the final one — is full of young, intriguing names. But be careful reading it as a showcase of experiments: for Moreno Molla, that time is over.
Why Italy has called up 34 players
Because under Gonzalo Quesada the national team works like this: 34 players, all from the available pool. No call-ups from abroad — those playing outside the country, at this stage, are not included. Hence the extended group, with several debutants.
«Come and learn»: the point of the first call-ups
Many of those called up won’t go on tour and perhaps will never wear the Azzurri jersey. But the point, Molla explains, is another: «Come, see how we work, see what we demand». Then you take that baggage back to your club — to Zebre or Treviso — and meanwhile you’re useful. It’s also a message of attention: the staff have an eye on you.
The young players under the microscope
Among the names, Alessandro Ortombina stands out, a Zebre lock/back-row: Molla said he was «delighted», a real tackling machine, among the best in the URC at that fundamental. More measured, instead, his verdict on Samuele Locatelli, another Parma back-row. Keep an eye on Malik Faissal, a wing on his way out of Zebre to Northampton — following Edoardo Todaro: he wasn’t left with the Under-20s, a sign they see him as a priority. And there’s the imposing frame of the very young Enoch Opoku Gyamfi in the second row.
On this Molla is clear: the greenest lads aren’t called up «to round out» the list. It’s the same line Quesada shares with Under-20 head coach Di Giandomenico: those who come into the Azzurri are players with a real chance of being in the 23, not ones there to make up the numbers.
With the World Cup near, no experiments
The key point: it’s no longer the time to experiment. «You used to say: let’s see what he’s worth. Now I already know what I want». The tour for trying things out was last year’s; now the World Cup is around the corner and experiments are off — like when England changed coach a year before the tournament, taking the pros and cons. The Nations Championship points matter (to avoid finishing last, even if there’s no relegation), but the goal remains winning — starting with the clash against Japan, which is no easy task.
«It’s no longer the “let’s see what he’s worth” experiment. I already know what I want: slotted into the system, and learn.»
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