The defending champions Italy come into Euro 2024 as dark horses – not too dissimilar to how they were perceived ahead of their triumph three years ago.
Under the management of Luciano Spalletti, arguably the best coach in the competition, the Azzurri have designs of joining Germany and Spain as the tournament’s most successful nations on three wins.
The European Championships have proved to be a safe space in recent years. Remarkably, many Italian fans now in their teenage years are yet to see their team play a World Cup knockout match. Indeed, they have been absent from the last two tournaments altogether.
Yet, on the continent, Italy have reached the final in two of the last three editions and bowed out in the last-eight in their other campaign since 2012.
Additionally, Germany holds a special place for many supporters, having been the scene of their most recent global success in 2006. No matter what shape Italy approach the Euros in, they have to be considered among the pack of contenders.
Mail Sport takes you through their side, including how Italy qualified for the tournament, their history in the competition and who to look out for.
Luciano Spalletti will get his first taste of international management at a major tournament this summer
Italy are one of the outsiders to win the tournament in Germany but they possess a well balanced squad full of talented individuals
Who is the manager?
The effervescent Serie A winner Luciano Spalletti will add his name to the storied list of coaches to lead Italy into a major tournament this month. The 65-year-old is a bonafide great of his generation but only recently received the recognition of those outside of Italy following his startling success with Napoli during the 2022-23 campaign.
Spalletti guided the side to their first Scudetto in 33 years before departing Naples at the end of the season.
‘I need to take some time to rest because I’m pretty tired,’ he said last May. But only four months later the national team came calling after the shock exit of Roberto Mancini for Saudi Arabia.
In his eight games in charge, Spalletti holds a record of five wins, two draws and one defeat – which came against England at Wembley in October.
The former Roma and Inter Milan boss has deployed his favoured 4-2-3-1 system for the majority of those matches, though he opted for a 3-4-2-1 in their most recent friendlies in March.
Spalletti guided Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years last season before leaving at the end of the campaign to enjoy a break from management
Who is their star man?
Italy may fall short this summer because their squad lacks a genuine global star but they nevertheless possess a roster brimming with elite performers.
Premier League fans will point to Arsenal’s Jorginho, while PSG stopper Gigi Donnarumma and Juventus winger Federico Chiesa are other high-profile names. But the standout is Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella.
The diminutive deep-lying playmaker is coming off the back of a stunning season with the Nerazzurri in which he played 37 times as his side romped to the Serie A title – 19 points clear at the top on 94 points.
The 27-year-old will play alongside Jorginho in the Italy midfield and will be tasked with fuelling their attacking engine. For his club, Barella has been among the continent’s most influential players.
Inter play a flexible system which allows him to pop up all over the pitch, receiving penetrative passes from the defence before replying in kind for the attackers or going on mazy runs of his own.
Perhaps most notable are Barella’s shot-creating actions per 90 which stand at 4.4. That figure puts him in the 94th percentile among other midfielders in the last year.
Nicolo Barella has established himself as one of the most influential midfielders in European football
The 27-year-old played 37 times for Inter as they demolished the competition and won Serie A by 19 points
How did they qualify?
Off the back of their failure to make the 2022 World Cup, Italy’s qualification group for the European Championships was less than favourable. Clustered with England, Ukraine and North Macedonia – who ended their dreams of appearing in Qatar – the jury was out on whether they could respond.
The campaign began, under Mancini, in disappointing fashion with a 2-1 home defeat by Gareth Southgate’s side. The former Manchester City boss took charge of only one other qualifier, a 2-0 win over Malta, before his resignation last August.
The Spalletti era began with a draw in Macedonia before back-to-back home wins against Ukraine and Malta. Then came their trip to Wembley which, despite defeat, was anything but routine for the Three Lions.
West Ham flop Gianluca Scamacca – now a Europa League winner with Atalanta – opened the scoring before Harry Kane’s penalty saw the side level at the break. England were made to wait until the 57th minute to take the lead ahead of Kane’s second late on.
Bolstered by their good display, Italy dispelled the ghosts of Macedonia past with a 5-2 win in their next fixture before a nervy 0-0 draw with Ukraine ensured their automatic passage to Germany.
Fourteen points from eight games – the same tally third-place Ukraine managed – is nothing to write home about but the context of their opponents and mid-campaign managerial change is important to consider.
Italy secured an automatic qualification spot for the Euros with a goalless draw against Ukraine in November
Fixtures (all UK time)
Italy vs Albania – Saturday June 15 (8pm, Dortmund)
Italy vs Spain – Thursday June 20 (8pm, Gelsenkirchen)
Italy vs Croatia – Monday June 24 (8pm, Leipzig)
Italy are in a tough Group B that includes Croatia, Albania and three-time winners Spain (pictured)
Tournament history
Italy’s two continental triumphs came 53 years apart, with their 2021 win ending a run of successive final defeats. In all, they have made the showpiece on four occasions, losing in 2000 and 2012 to generational France and Spain sides.
In 2000, Dino Zoff’s side suffered the heartbreak of defeat in extra-time thanks to David Trezeguet’s now iconic golden goal. France equalised in the fourth minute of added time before snatching the victory only three minutes into the extra period.
Defeat 12 years later was much more emphatic. This time it was Cesare Prandelli who led the Azzurri to the final but they had no answer for La Roja, who ran out 4-0 winners in Kyiv.
Three years ago, Mancini’s outfit stormed the group stage, scoring seven goals without reply in their opening three fixtures. They needed extra-time to get past Austria in the last-16 before a thrilling 2-1 win over Belgium in Munich.
Italy required penalties to beat Spain in the semi-finals before breaking England hearts in another shootout in the final at Wembley.
Italy’s second triumph in the competition came at the last Euros following a penalty shootout win over England in the final at Wembley
Odds to win the trophy
14/1 (Sky Bet)
Provisional squad (29 players)
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham), Alex Meret (Napoli), Ivan Provedel (Lazio)
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Raoul Bellanova (Torino), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Inter Milan), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Federico Gatti (Juventus)*
Midfielders: Jorginho (Arsenal), Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus), Michael Folorunsho (Verona), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino)
Attackers: Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta)
*Federico Gatti has been brought in to the provisional squad following injuries to Francesco Acerbi and Giorgio Scalvini.
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