Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/982634
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 MAY 2018 20 FOOTBALL SPORTS Mancini wants to take Italy back to the top ROBERTO Mancini outlined his plans to take Italy back to the top and recall maverick forward Mario Balotelli to the line-up after he was presented as their new coach yesterday. The 53-year-old has been handed the daunting task of lifting Italy out of the doldrums after their failure to qualify for this year's World Cup, the first time they will miss the tourna- ment in 60 years. The four-times world cham- pions have also slumped to a record low of 20th in the FIFA rankings. "I would like to be the coach who brings Italy back to the top. It will not be easy but we can do it," he said, suggesting that he would aim to win Euro 2020. "We have not won the Euro- pean championship for many years and that is our first big event." Remembering that he first walked through the doors of Italy's Coverciano training camp in 1978 with the un- der-14 team, Mancini said it was the right moment in his career to take on the challenge of coaching his country. "Becoming a national team coach is not something trivial. The federation made me un- derstand that they wanted me 100 percent and that made it easy for me to choose," added the former Inter Milan, Man- chester City, Galatasaray and Zenit St Petersburg coach. "Being here in this role is im- portant, and this was the right moment in my career." Although Mancini and Balo- telli had several run-ins when the pair were at Manchester City, he suggested the Nice forward would be given an- other chance. "We'll talk, we'll probably call him. We want to see him play the way he did at the European Championship (in 2012)," he said. Balotelli has not been called up for Italy since the last World Cup when his attitude was the subject of barely- veiled criticism from some senior players. After scoring in the 2-1 win over England, Balotelli cov- ered the entire Italy page in a Panini album with stickers of himself and then posted it on his Facebook page. Roberto Mancini Former Aston Villa defender Samuel dies in car crash FORMER Aston Villa and Trinidad and To- bago defender Jlloyd Samuel was killed in a car crash in England yesterday morning, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) said in a statement. The 37-year-old made close to 200 appear- ances for Villa and also represented Bolton Wanderers and Cardiff City. "We've received some terrible news that for- mer national defender and ex-Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers player Jlloyd Samuel died in a car crash this morning in England," the TTFA said in a post on Facebook. "According to reports, Jlloyd was returning home after dropping his kids off to school and collided with an oncoming vehicle. His vehicle caught fire and his body was discovered burnt. "The Trinidad and Tobago Football Asso- ciation and his former national team mates at this time extend deepest condolences to his family members both in the UK and here in Trinidad and Tobago." Samuel represented England at youth level before earning two senior caps with Trinidad and Tobago.