What you need to know about Italy at the Euro U21 2023

On the summer menu of football, market negotiations are the main course at the table, but with the championships coming to a halt, there is nothing that better completes the imagination of an Italian fan than a national team match at a major international tournament. There are no World Cups and European Championships, so for 2023 the Azzurri to cheer on are those of the men's Under 21 (waiting then for the women's World Cup) engaged in the European Championships being played in Romania and Georgia. 

The group stage has already begun with the first three matches, which have seen Georgia, Spain and Ukraine beat Portugal, Romania and Croatia. This evening also sees the start of the Italian national team, perhaps not the strongest among those who have participated in the last two Europeans, but a team with several high-level players, from the off-team Tonali to Gnonto, Udogie and Scalvini. 

The azzurri team

Among the 23 called up almost all the names have played stably in Serie A during the last season, starting with the starting goalkeeper, who should be Carnesecchi. The defence department is made up of nine players, and among the most anticipated names are those of Scalvini, who was not called up by Mancini in the Nations League in order to arrive ready for the European Championship, and Udogie, who is preparing to start his first season with Tottenham. Parisi and Okoli are the other two most interesting names, to which are added Bellanova, Cambiaso, Cittadini, Lovato and Pirola, for a very athletic package with a fair technical level. The midfield is the department with the most experience and quality in this national team, the solutions are many and interchangeable with players who have played at high levels this season, almost always competing for important goals. The experience of Tonali, who was also absent in the final phase of the Nations League and at the centre of the market, is joined by Bove, Miretti, Ricci, Rovella and Esposito. A common problem between the senior and U21 national teams seems to be the absence of a real striker who stands out in the squad and in the tournament. In the last few metres of the pitch to lead Italy there will certainly be Gnonto, back from a very positive season with Leeds, along with Cambiaghi, Cancellieri, Colombo and Pellegri, all of whom have been alternated over the last year by coach Nicolato. 

The manager

Paolo Nicolato is one of those coaches who knows the Italian youth football system well, having led all of the FIGC's representations, starting with the Under-18s. Tonight's match against France will be his 33rd bench as coach of the U21 team, with 21 victories, seven draws and four defeats, the most important being the 5-3 defeat against Portugal in the quarter-finals of the European Championship 2021. Nicolato will confirm the 3-5-2 as the initial module, with three physical defenders, technical and insertion midfielders and the work of the two outside players, who have in common great running and the ability to make assists for the two forwards.

Group D rivals

The favourite in group D together with Italy seems to be France, with fairly experienced players (15 play regularly in Ligue 1) including two Serie A acquaintances such as Kalulu (AC Milan) and Gendrey (Lecce). Not to be underestimated is Norway, which in recent years has been producing some very interesting talents who are engaged throughout Europe. These include Botheim, a friend of Haaland and in the last year at Salernitana, but also Ceïde, a Sassuolo player, and Meslier, a Premier League starter with Leeds in the last two seasons. The fourth team in the group is Switzerland, with less prominent names compared to other national teams in the tournament but not to be underestimated, especially since they will be Italy's third opponent in the group, in a match that could be decisive for the classification. 

The rules

Sixteen teams will participate in the final phase of the European Championships, playing in eight stadiums, four in Romania (Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest) and four in Georgia (Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi). Italy will play its group matches at the Cluj Arena, where the home team of the same name plays. The tournament is divided into four groups of four teams, with the first two advancing to the knockout stage, for which extra time and penalties are provided in the event of a draw. In the event of a tie in the group standings, the best goal difference in direct matches between the teams concerned will be taken into account. The top three in addition to the podium will obtain a pass for the next 2024 Olympics, which among the participating European teams already sees France as the host nation.