Roberto Mancini’s use of the attacking strengths of two thriving Sassuolo players has helped fire an Azzurri renaissance
This has already been a record-breaking summer for Roberto Mancini’s Italy. The Azzurri had never scored three goals in a European Championship game before their curtain-raiser against Turkey in Rome. Now they have done it twice in two matches, keeping clean sheets on both occasions.
Ask their players for their magic formula, and you might be disappointed in the reply. “This team has no secret,” insisted the midfielder Nicolò Barella after Wednesday’s demolition of Switzerland. “There’s just enthusiasm, on and off the pitch. This is a compact group.”
