At the start of this European Championship, there were five Italian coaches: Roberto Mancini (Italy), Marco Rossi (Hungary), Francesco Calzona (Slovakia), Domenico Tedesco (Belgium) and Vincenzo Montella (Turkey). After the group stage, all four except for Rossi led their teams into the round of 16.
At that time, the Italian media outlet, Gazzetta dello Sport, published an article that read: “Five Italian coaches participate in this European Championship, and besides Rossi, the other four led their respective teams into the round of 16. In Germany, our coaches are shining. The 2024 European Championship has witnessed the dominance of Italian coaches. It wouldn’t be surprising if our coaches met in the European Championship final.”
However, to the Italian media’s surprise, the slap in the face came too quickly. When the round of 16 of the European Championship concluded, only one Italian coach had led his team into the quarter-finals. Mancini’s Italy, the defending champions, were eliminated in the round of 16, losing 0-2 to Switzerland. Following this, Slovakia, coached by Calzona, were overturned by England’s “Three Lions”, losing 1-2 after extra time and being eliminated. Then, Tedesco’s Belgium lost 0-1 to France, also being eliminated. Luckily, Montella’s Turkey, after narrowly defeating Austria 2-1, became the only Italian coach to enter the European Championship quarter-finals.
First of all, the Italian media’s dream of Italian coaches meeting in the European Championship final has already been dashed. As for how far Montella’s team can go, the outlook is not optimistic. Although Turkey’s half of the draw doesn’t include France, Spain, or Germany, teams like Netherlands, England, and Switzerland are still formidable opponents.
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