Italy will begin their title defence in Germany on 16th June 2024 after finalising the 26-member squad traveling for Euro 2024. This edition is expected to throw a far superior challenge than the holders had in Euro 2020 with Spain and Croatia in the same group alongside Albania. The pressure will be on the Azzurri as they failed to qualify for yet another World Cup and will not have Euro-winning manager Roberto Mancini by their side. However, Luciano Spalletti’s era has brought a lot of promise and he hopes to lead Italy to another memorable Euro campaign.
History
Italy has won the Euros twice in their 10 appearances so far. The Azzurri also reached the final on four occasions. They became champions as hosts in 1968 with a squad containing legends like Dino Zoff, Gigi Riva, Sandro Mazzola etc. After failing to win the 2000 and 2012 finals, the team managed to do it in their third attempt this century in Euro 2020 played in 2021. The team won all the games, including penalty shootouts, in the pan-European tournament and defeated England at Wembley 3-2 from the spot. Nine of the players of the current squad i.e Di Lorenzo, Jorginho, Federico Chiesa, Bryan Cristante, Nicolò Barella, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Giacomo Raspadori, Alessandro Bastoni and Alex Meret were part of the winning side back then.
Italy squad for Euro 2024
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG), Alex Meret (Brentford), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham)
Defenders: Matteo Darmian (Inter Milan), Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Raoul Bellanova (Torino), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna)
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan), Jorginho (Arsenal), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Michael Folorunsho (Hellas Verona)
Forwards: Federico Chiesa (Juventus), El Shaarawy (Roma), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio)
Captain: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Manager: Luciano Spalletti
Defenders Francesco Acerbi and Giorgio Scalvini withdrew from the provisional squad due to injuries with Federico Gatti called up as replacement. Goalkeeper Ivan Provedel has also been left out but continues to train with the team because of Alex Meret’s fitness concerns. Samuele Ricci and Riccardo Orsolini did not make the final squad, although the latter started the warm-up friendly against Turkey. However, Orsolini’s club-mate Riccardo Calafiori was included who made his international debut in that match. Inter Milan’s star Nicolo Barella did not feature in the 0-0 draw due to a muscle strain although he remains part of the squad. Recently back from a seven-month ban due to breaching bettering rules, midfielder Nicolò Fagioli will also be on the plane to Germany.
Star Player: Nicolò Barella
Italy needs Nicolo Barella to recover from his injury quickly as he could be a key player in Euro 2024. Having played an important part in their title triumph at Wembley, the 27-year-old remains at the peak of his performance by helping his club Inter Milan win their 20th Scudetto this past season. Barella was instrumental in the Euro qualifiers producing four assists and providing the energy from midfield for Italy to secure the top-two spot in the qualifying group. His box-to-box playing ability and being comfortable in an advanced midfield role make him a utility player. Hence, his presence is of utmost necessity for the Azzurri to keep their dream of title defence alive.
Manager: Luciano Spalletti
Roberto Mancini guided Italy to their second Euro Championship in 2021 but then faced a massive setback in failing to qualify for the Qatar World Cup a year later. Following his unexpected resignation in August 2023 and joining the Saudi Arabian national team, the Euro champions needed another well-known Italian in their chair to guide the team forward. They managed to find one in Luciano Spalletti after leading Napoli to their first title in 30 years. The manager translated his numerous achievements with other Serie A clubs to the national team, having lost just once in the nine games managed so far. Spalletti wishes to maintain his excellent track record in the Euro finals and prove a point again.
Strength
Italy will be banking on their solidity again to get them through. The team conceded just eight goals under Spalleti and kept a clean sheet in three of the last four matches. Despite leaving out certain centre-backs due to injury, the two-time winners have enough in store to field a solid back-four or back-three with tournament-winning experience as well. Additionally, talents like Raoul Bellanova, Andrea Cambiaso and Riccardo Calafiori will want to show their potential on the big stage. The midfield is also an area Italy could thrive on with Barella’s stamina and intensity while Jorginho, Bryan Cristante or Davide Frattesi offer robustness.
Weakness
However, the main concern for Italy is producing goals. While the team has scored in seven of the last nine matches, they have scored more than two goals just twice and played two goalless draws in the previous four games. The Azzuri has creators like Lorenzo Pellegrini and Giacomo Raspadori or wingers like Federico Chiesa, last edition’s star, but still lacks a definite number nine. Mateo Retegui has talent and Gianluca Scamacca, Europa League winner with Atalanta, is in goal-scoring form although both need to be consistent at the international level.
How will Italy Lineup at Euro?
Italy Fixtures for Euro 2024
Sunday, 16 June 2024
Italy vs Albania - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund (00:30)
Friday, 21 June 2024
Spain vs Italy - Veltins - Arena, Gelsenkirchen (00:30)
Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Croatia vs Italy - Red Bull Arena, Leipzig (00:30)
