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The Italian national team made it to the Euro, bypassing many problems. Sports explains that, in addition to history, it makes this team one of the favorites.
Avail Ukraine in additional indicators
In the qualifying tournament for Euro 2024, the Italians took second place in Group C , beating the Ukrainian team in additional indicators. The group was won by the England team, which the Italians will most likely face in the playoffs of the main tournament.
Charismatic bald head
A striking result of the evolution of Italian football is that star players are disappearing from it, but the number of the most popular coaches is growing year after year. One of them now heads the national team, and he is very familiar to the Russian audience. Luciano Spalletti, a man with a charismatic bald head and a snow-white smile, coached Zenit during the dawn of its hegemony and helped the team win four trophies — two Russian championships, a Cup and a Super Cup.
Spalletti's successes in Russia were so powerful that he was celebrated even in Italy. Thus, the legendary Roma footballer Francesco Totti wrote in his blog that “he is a great coach, and it’s wonderful when Italians manage to show their talent abroad.” At that time, the very fact that such titled players were talking about our domestic championship was considered something unprecedented.
After five years at Zenit, Spalletti took a short break and then returned to Roma, which he led before leaving for Russia. This was followed by two years at Inter, and in the 2022/23 season he brought Napoli a historic victory in the Italian championship — only the third in the history of the club and the first in more than 30 years.
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Goalkeeper with a hairpin
Unlike Zenit and Napoli, the Italian national team has long ceased to be a team of powerful names. The main star of the Italians can be considered goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma — but, perhaps, only because of his media weight. By the age of 25, he had failed to find stability.
After leaving the long ruble from Milan to PSG, he spoiled his reputation with the fans and did not gain anything good. And if you believe the reports of Western journalists, then things can only get worse. They say that PSG bosses have already announced to all their goalkeepers (including Russian Matvey Safonov, who has already officially joined the Parisians) that the main goalkeeper is no longer in the team. And this is a clear dig at the captain of the Italian national team right on the eve of the Euro.
The defense of the current European champions is filled with strong performers, but these are not stars of the magnitude of Alessandro Nesta or Fabio Cannavaro. Perhaps Federico Dimarco from Inter, who often joins the attack, deserves special mention. In midfield, Nicolo Barella should be the main force.
The main striker in the absence of the injured Domenico Berardi and Ciro Immobile should be Gianluca Scamacca from Atalanta, who just won the Europa League. Federico Chiesa from Juventus will help him if he avoids injuries. In the wings are Giacomo Raspadori and Stefan El Shaarawy — another Italian “talent of the generation” who has not realized even 50% of his potential.
Modernization of Spalletti
Italy has always been associated with a powerful defense, and in this regard, the current assembly is not much different from the previous ones. In an interview before the Euro, Spalletti emphasized that he wanted to instill in the national team a new style, more attacking. But the Italians are unlikely to abandon their decades-tested tactics in the decisive stages of the tournament, where they will certainly end up. After all, the defense of the title is at stake.
But if Spalletti does venture into attacking football, Barella will be his cornerstone. He uses the flanks perfectly, plays with the forwards and breaks into the penalty area himself. The movement he provides in the opposition half takes the attack to the next level. And then everything will depend on the attack.
Dreams about the semi-finals
According to the results of the draw, Italy ended up in the “group of death” (B) with Spain, Croatia and militant Albania. On the other hand, taking into account the peculiarities of the draw, Spalletti's team will be satisfied with second place at the end of the group stage with access to the second team of Quartet A, which should be Scotland or Switzerland.
It is highly likely that Italy will be in the quarterfinals the England team will be waiting — and here everything will depend on how well the Italian defense plays. Globally, the current champions have the potential to at least reach the semi-finals.
Calendar:
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June 15. 22:00 (Moscow time). Italy — Albania (Dortmund)
June 20. Spain — Italy (Gelsenkirchen)
June 24. Croatia — Italy (Leipzig)