'Be More Effective': Roberto Mancini Bemoans Italy's Lack of Productivity in Loss to Portugal

Monday night was one to forget for Italy, as Roberto Mancini's side were beaten 1-0 by Portugal in the UEFA Nations League in Lisbon.

In a match that lacked any real attacking threat from Gli Azzurri, travelling fans saw their nation dominated for large spells of the game, while Andre Silva scored the only goal of the tie. 

With this one in the books, Mancini is looking to move forward quickly, insisting that his team have a lot to work on. 

As quoted by Italy's official Twitter account (@azzurri), Italy's boss said after the game: "The lads gave all they could. However, we must find solutions and be able to score goals.

"We must help the youth grow, as we don't have alternatives. Improving the physical condition overall will make things easier but we must be more effective in attack."

With zero Juventus representatives in the Italy starting lineup for the first time in twenty years, Mancini opted to switch nine players from the draw at home to Poland.

However, the outcome in Lisbon was worse than the one in Bologna, and some could argue so was the performance. Winning only one of their last nine games - a friendly against Saudi Arabia - the Italians are struggling through a difficult period.

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Playing Mario Balotelli, Ciro Immobile and Andrea Belotti across their first two Nations League games, Italy saw zero shots on target from their attacking options. 

The problems evident from the 2018 World Cup playoff defeat to Sweden continue, with goals hard to come by for Gli Azzurri. Jorginho's penalty against Poland marked the only time Italy have scored in their last four matches.