Italy names previously banned star in Euro 2024 squad
Italy manager Luciano Spalletti has officially unveiled his provisional 30-man squad for Euro 2024. Gli Azzurri will enter the summer tournament looking to defend their European title. Italy previously edged England in the 2020 version (played in 2021 due to the pandemic) of the competition on penalty kicks. It was their first such title since 1968.
Despite naming 30 players to his squad, Spalletti will have to cut four players before the start of the tournament. Italy is set to play two friendlies ahead of the competition in Germany. The entire squad will get a chance to impress their manager during these matchups. Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina will both play Spalletti’s side in Italy. The first matchup against Turkey is scheduled for June 4th, with the remaining fixture to be played five days later.
Only three players represent clubs outside Italy
Italy captain, and Paris-Saint Germain star, Gianluigi Donnarumma will lead the team between the posts. The 25-year-old goalkeeper is one of the best players in his position globally.
In front of the shot-stopper, Spalletti has plenty of solid options in defense. Inter Milan center-back Alessandro Bastoni is perhaps the best defender in the team. However, fellow stars such as Giorgio Scalvini and Federico Dimarco are also standouts in the back line.
Italy has historically had a reputation for an elite defensive group. This year, the focus for the Italians is in the midfield. Nicolo Barella and Nicolo Fagioli headline a stellar group in the center of the park. The latter Juventus star only just returned to action from a seven-month ban for violating betting rules. Arsenal‘s Jorginho also made the squad, becoming the only outfield Premier League player to be included in Spalletti’s team.
Leading Italy’s front line will likely be fellow Juve star Federico Chiesa and Atalanta center forward Gianluca Scamacca. The striker picked up a Europa League trophy with his Italian club after beating previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.
Juve star midfielder snubbed by Spalletti
Undoubtedly the biggest omission by Spalletti was Manuel Locatelli. The Juve midfielder collected 28 caps for his country, and he is a mainstay in the Juventus ranks. Nevertheless, the manager opted to select relative newcomers Michael Folorunsho and Samuele Ricci instead. Tottenham Hotspur defender Destiny Udogie also missed out. Yet, Spalletti avoided the Spurs full-back due to injury.
After playing their two warmup fixtures, Italy will begin their Euro 2024 play against Albania on June 15. The fixture is essentially a must-win game due to the intense competition in Group B. Along with the two aforementioned teams, Spain and Croatia feature in this group. It is the only group in the tournament that features three teams currently ranked inside FIFA’s top 10 list.
Provisional Italy squad for Euro 2024:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Ivan Provedel (Lazio), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham).
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Inter Milan), 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), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta).
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Michael Folorunsho (Hellas Verona), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Jorginho (Arsenal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino).
Forwards: Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).
PHOTOS: IMAGO