The key date is 28 June. On 28 June 2023, the U21s fell to defeat against Norway, condemning them to a painful elimination. At the Cluj Arena, a draw would have been enough to advance to the quarter-finals of the European Under-21 Championship being held in Georgia and Romania, but a goal midway through the second half by former Salernitana striker Erik Botheim crushed the dreams of Tonali and his teammates. Two years later, Italy are going for glory again. This time around, still being in the tournament come the morning of 28 June would be excellent, because that’s the day the final will be  played in Bratislava. For twelve years now, the U21s haven’t managed to reach the final a competition they’ve won five times, albeit their most recent victory dates back to 2004. In the same year, some of the Azzurrini players in the current squad were born, and they’re now ready to fly to Slovakia on Sunday to write another page of history.

THE CAPTAIN SPEAKS. Lorenzo Pirola, the captain of the side, is about to experience his third European Under-21 Championship. He’s just come off an exciting season with Olympiacos, winning both the league and the Greek Cup: “It was the best season of my career to date,” said the defender in an interview with the FIGC website. “I played 35 matches and lifted two trophies. “My move wasn’t typical for a 22-year-old: I’d just been relegated, not much was happening in the transfer market in Italy, and then this opportunity came along. It turned out to be the right call, but it took some courage.” Two summers ago, during the Under-21 training camp in Tirrenia, he revealed he had to postpone his wedding with his fiancée, Martina, to play in the Euros. They eventually got married last June and now live together in Athens: “We’re really happy here, and there’s a 99% chance I’ll stay next year too. It’s a beautiful city, with sun and sea. It feels like being in Italy.” The language barrier is a bit trickier: “I basically only know how to say good morning and good evening. When my teammates speak Greek, it’s impossible to understand what they’re saying.”

U21S LIKE A FAMILY. Speaking of teammates, being in the U21 squad feels almost like being part of a family: “Two years ago, I was a bit younger and not one of the leaders – that was guys like Tonali, Carnesecchi and others. Now that I feel like one of the leaders of this team, I can say we’re a close-knit group, both on and off the pitch. In two years, we’ve never had any issues between us. Getting along well is crucial; it’s maybe even more important than the technical side of things. After all, when you’re on the pitch, you have to want to fight for your teammates.” The team are heading to Slovakia on Sunday, and the first objective is to progress past the group stage: “The first game is probably the most important. If we win against Romania, we might be able to qualify when we come up against Slovakia. But if we lose, we’ll have to come away with six points from the next two matches. Football is unpredictable and full of surprises, but, on paper, I’d rather be through before playing Spain.” As regards the favourites, Pirola had the following to say: “I believe we’re strong. I’d say France, England and Spain are the real frontrunners, and then, just behind them, it’s us, Portugal and the Netherlands.”

LEARNING FROM MISTAKES. In 2023, Italy went into the European Championship confident they could go all the way. Back then, just like now, the team had plenty of talent: some, like Tonali, were already established, while others, like Carnesecchi, Cambiaso, Rovella and Ricci, had become starters in Serie A: “We were stronger than Norway and Switzerland, and we definitely should’ve gone further, but we got knocked out in the group stage. That ghost goal against France cost us a point, and then we went behind against Norway. They sat back, and we couldn’t find the equaliser. It’s not like the league, where you lose one game but have plenty more chances to recover. Here, one slip-up and you’re out – and that’s exactly what happened to us.” The hope this time is that Italy can go much further, and there’s no shortage of desire or enthusiasm: “We’re pushing hard in training. and everyone’s feeling fired up. Even in practice matches, nobody wants to lose. If the score is level at the end of the session, we ask the coach if we can keep playing because everyone wants to win. That’s important, because, with a week to go before the Euros, we’re already in the mindset of wanting to win every game. Playing with our style and intensity, we cause problems for any team. And we’re really eager to bring this trophy home.”

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP SQUAD NUMBERS

Goalkeepers: 1 Sebastiano Desplanches (Palermo), 22 Jacopo Sassi (Crotone), 12 Gioele Zacchi (Latina);

Defenders: *15 Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona), 6 Daniele Ghilardi (Hellas Verona), 19 Gabriele Guarino (Carrarese), 13 Michael Kayode (Brentford), 5 Lorenzo Pirola (Olympiacos), 3 Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), 16 Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), 2 Mattia Zanotti (Lugano);

Midfielders: 23 Alessandro Bianco (Monza), *8 Cesare Casadei (Torino), 18 Issa Doumbia (Venezia), 14 Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna), 21 Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), 7 Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), 20 Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), 4 Matteo Prati (Cagliari);

Forwards: 9 Giuseppe Ambrosino (Frosinone), 11 Tommaso Baldanzi (Roma), 10 Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United), 17 Luca Koleosho (Burnley).

*will join up with the group on 10 June, after the senior team’s fixtures

Staff – Head Coach: Carmine Nunziata; Delegation Head: Giancarlo Antognoni; Coordinator of the Men’s National Youth Teams: Maurizio Viscidi; Team Manager: Gianfranco Serioli; Assistant Coaches: Matteo Brighi and Christian Maggio; Fitness Coaches: Vito Azzone and Luca Coppari; Goalkeeping Coach: Fabrizio Ferron; Match Analyst: Gianluca Mazziotti; Doctors: Daniele Mazza and Vincenzo Santoriello; Nutritionist: Maria Luisa Cravana; Physiotherapists: Tommaso Cannata, Giuliano Gepponi and Nicola Sanna; Secretary: Manfredi Martino.