Roberto Mancini made a huge error in excluding captain Giorgio Chiellini from Italy's starting XI last night because he didn't have his glasses on.
The Azzurri's 11-match winning streak came to an end when they drew 1-1 with Bosnia in the UEFA Nations League last night.
Juventus centre-back Chiellini was an unused substitute for the fixture but only because of Mancini needing to go to Specsavers.
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Whilst checking his team prior to the game, the former Manchester City boss failed to spot that Francesco Acerbi was mistakenly playing at centre-back on the sheet.
He took the blame for the gaffe, which sounds like something you'd expect from a Sunday League manager and not one who has won league titles in two different countries.
"It was my fault," Mancini said in his post-match press conference, as per Football Italia.
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"They showed me the line-up, I didn't have my glasses on and just said it was fine. I didn't notice Acerbi was there rather than Chiellini.
"Anyway, we had planned originally for Acerbi to play one game and Chiellini another. I had asked Giorgio if he wanted to play today or on Monday with Holland, he said today, but we'll have to swap it now.
"It's not like we chose a goalkeeper rather than a defender, it's not a massive difference, but yes, it was an error."
With Lazio's Acerbi in instead of Chiellini, Italy found themselves a goal down in the 57th minute when Roma striker Edin Dzeko, a player who Mancini bought whilst manager of City, found the net.
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Inter midfielder Stefano Sansi notched the equaliser 10 minutes later to salvage a point for the hosts.
They will now play against group leaders the Netherlands on Monday and this time, here's hoping Mancini remembers to use his glasses while double-checking his team.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Football, roberto mancini, Giorgio Chiellini, Italy
