National, Acerbi played in place of Chiellini due to a sensational mistake of the blue staff.
Unripe in place of Chiellini by mistake, Rai Sport explained it. The national team returned to play a game after a year. Italy-Bosnia was presented as Chiellini's great return as a starter.
And so it should have been. But at the time of the presentation of the official formations, there was a rather sensational mistake by the blue staff.
In fact Mancini had indicated to include Chiellini among the owners but evidently it was not understood by the employee of his staff who had to present the formations to the Uefa delegate.
Having learned the mistake, Mancini asked his staff to change things but Uefa did not want to hear reasons.
To put Chiellini on the field, from the first minute, Italy would have had to send the Lazio player Francesco Acerbi to the stands.
Mancini wanted to launch the Juventus defender as a starter but at the same time he wanted to keep the Acerbi card on the bench and for this reason he did not accept.
So Acerbi started the game as a starter and Chiellini started off the bench.
The choices of the two coaches.
ITALY (4-3-3) : Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Acerbi, Biraghi; Pellegrini, Sensi, Barella; Church, Belotti, Insigne. Ct. Mancini.
BOSNIA (4-3-3) : Sehic; Cipetic, Sunjic, Sanicanin, Kolasinac; Cimirot, Hadziahmetovic, Gojak; Visca, Dzeko, Hodzic. Ct. Bajevic (source Rai Sport ).
Source: Blitz Quotidiano