Euro 2024 preview: A closer look at Italy

-

Can Italy retain their European Championship crown?

Italy are not among the favourites in Germany. 

A closer look at Italy

The holders qualified after finishing second in Group C behind England, the key game being a goalless draw with Ukraine in Germany. At Euro 2024, Italy will play Albania, Spain and Croatia in one of the toughest groups of the tournament. 

Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, the defensive duo that led Italy to glory in 2021, will watch from home. Nicolò Barella and Gianluigi Donnarumma need to step up and become the key players for the team. They will have to cope without Destiny Udogie, Nicolò Zaniolo, Francesco Acerbi, and Giorgio Scalvini, who are all out injured.

Iconic Euros moments: Throwback to England v Italy (2021)

How did they reach Germany?

They qualified for Euro 2024 after a goalless draw against Ukraine in Germany. This was a welcome relief for everyone within Italian football after they failed to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The qualifying campaign for this summer's tournament wasn't easy and involved two defeats against England. 

Luis, an Italy fan, told us: "It hasn't been a great few years since we won Euro 2020. However, we managed to qualify for this competition. I am always confident we can beat everyone on the biggest stage."

ECQ: Italy 1 - 2 England (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)

A closer look at the coach

Luciano Spalletti will take the national team to a major tournament for the first time. In the last two decades, he led Roma, Zenit, Roma again, Internazionale and Napoli, winning a scudetto and two Russian titles. At 65, he has the body of a man in his 50s and no fear to take unpopular decisions. Spalletti has used a 3-4-2-1 and a 4-3-3 formation, a similar approach to the one taken by Mancini during his tenure, but he is stricter than his predecessor.

A player to watch

Davide Frattesi could be the next big thing in Italian football. In his first season with Inter, he played only a few games as a starter but scored six Serie A goals and was crucial in the comeback in Lisbon against Benfica (from 3-0 to 3-3) in November. In the qualifiers with the Azzurri, he was the man of the match in the key home game against Ukraine. He attracted criticism during the Milan derby played in September, when, with Inter leading 4-1, he shushed Rafa Leão before making it 5-1. Many Italian fans will believe he has the confidence to shine in Germany. 

An Italian icon

Gianluigi Donnarumma, standing still as a statue with a subtle smile after saving Bukayo Saka's penalty, is one of the most iconic images of Italy’s Euro 2020 victory. He has had a strong season at PSG and has become accustomed to facing criticism.

After Euro 2020 was concluded, UEFA's team of Technical Observers named Donnarumma as their Player of the Tournament. You'd have to say that he deserved that award. 

Will their lack of a striker be a problem?

The striker problem in particular seems to be endemic within the genetics of Italian football, having also concerned the youth teams. Mancini won Euro 2020 with only two goals from Ciro Immobile, his starting striker, and Spalletti’s quest for a centre-forward lasted months. Can Gianluca Scamacca or Mateo Retegui be the heir of Paolo Rossi, Totò Schillaci, Christian Vieri? They are the strikers who wrote history in the Italian shirt. 

Euro 2024 news and stories 

Popular posts from this blog

UCL: Real Madrid win the Champions League again

-
Image
Borussia Dortmund 0- 2 Real Madrid Real Madrid overcame a formidable challenge from underdogs Borussia Dortmund to secure the Champions League title at Wembley. Carlo Ancelotti made history once again with his fifth win as a manager in the competition, while Real Madrid claimed their 15th title in typical fashion. They weathered a stormy first half and several missed opportunities from Dortmund before emerging victorious. A brief summary of the match Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi missed two chances in the first half, and striker Niclas Fullkrug struck the post. Real Madrid's recalled goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, was also a formidable barrier. As expected, Real Madrid upped the ante, with Dani Carvajal nodding in a header from a corner 16 minutes from time, followed by Vinicius Jr racing clear to add a second goal. This victory crowned a glorious first season at Real Madrid for Jude Bellingham, but it was a night of disappointment for Jadon Sancho, on loan to Dortmund from Manch
Read more

Euro 2024: Germany win opening game

-
Image
 Germany 5 - 1 Scotland There were six goals in the first game of Euro 2024. Unfortunately for Scotland, they only managed one. Pictures from the Euro 2024 Opening Ceremony The atmosphere at Allianz Arena was electric right from the start. Just ten minutes in, Florian Wirtz effortlessly found the net to open the scoring. Shortly after, Jamal Musiala unleashed a powerful shot that almost broke both Angus Gunn’s net and the hearts of the stunned Scottish fans behind the goal. Before half-time, Kai Havertz made it three from the penalty spot, following Ryan Porteous’ red card which left Scotland facing an uphill battle. Substitute Niclas Fullkrug added a fourth for Germany with a high shot into the net, though Antonio Rudiger’s late deflected own goal offered a glimmer of hope for Scotland. Their joy was short-lived, however, as Emre Can silenced the Scottish supporters deep into injury time. This result marked the biggest win in the opening game of a European Championships.  Euro 202
Read more

Euro 2024: Italy survive Albania scare

-
Image
Italy 2 - 1 Albania Holders Italy overcome a huge scare from group outsiders Albania. Italy recovered from the shock of conceding the fastest goal ever scored at a European Championship to beat Albania 2-1 with Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolò Barella ensuring the defending champions made a winning start. Such a narrow margin of defeat may prove useful to Albania’s hopes of scraping third place in the group of death. They will almost certainly need to win their next game though. Not an easy task. Nedim Bajrami’s emphatic finish set a new record for the fastest goal in European Championship history, lifting the roof off a stadium that had never experienced anything like the Albanian influx, which kept the atmosphere electric throughout. Within 23 seconds, Bajrami ensured that this already intense occasion would go down in history. It was inevitable Albania would start aggressively, spurred on by a noisy support that filled at least three-quarters of the venue. Italy wasn't ready.
Read more