After two weeks of preparation at the CPO in Tirrenia, the National Under 21s left Pisa airport in the morning and arrived in the early afternoon in Cluj, the Romanian city where Italy will play the three matches of the European Championship group stage against France, Switzerland and Norway. Overnight, Wilfried Gnonto also joined the group, who until yesterday had been involved with the senior national team and was played from the first minute by Mancini in the final for third place in the Nations League, which saw Italy beat the Netherlands 3-2.

At 17:30 (16:30 CEST), the Azzurrini will have their first training session on Romanian soil three days before the tournament gets underway against France. A match that will say a lot about the ambitions of our national team: "Starting well is always important - confirmed Elia Caprile in an exclusive interview with the FIGC website - we have the utmost respect towards every team, but we are aware that we can compete with everyone. We are a great group, we are good together and we are strong. I do not see many national teams superior to us on paper, we are Italy and we aim to win the European Championship.”

As Lorenzo Pirola pointed out in a press conference on Friday, the experience gained over the past year by most of the players and the increased minutes they have played with the clubs bode well: “In the squad, only three have played in Serie B. All the others have played in Serie A on a permanent basis, some have also played in the European competitions, and have been very successful. Physically we are also fine because at the end of June it is difficult to find a player out of shape. Now it's all about the head, it's fundamental to have the right attitude.”

And it was not easy for Caprile to get stuck back in after the disappointment of losing the play-off final to Cagliari. He pulled off a couple of spectacular saves, he would have been one of the heroes of Bari's promotion to Serie A, but Pavoletti's goal at the end of the match was a heart-breaking moment for him and for an entire city: “Life goes on, I try not to think about it anymore because otherwise I get sad. Luckily I have the chance to stay here, now my head is only at the European Championship.” And in order not to hear the noises from the transfer window, it is better to shut things out: "I am very calm, the phone has never rang and I am not interested in calling my agent. What I can say is that I'm very happy at Bari, we'll see what happens.”

Twenty-two years old next 25 August, he has already had several big experiences. He was in the Chievo Verona academy, before he spent a year and a half at Leeds, where he never made his first-team debut but got to know Marcelo Bielsa (“he and Nicolato share an interest in video analysis'”), and after a season in Serie C with Pro Patria he made a name for himself at Bari. As an undisputed starter at the Apulian club, he is ready to step into a new role to help the team: 'It's a bit of a new situation, my task and Turati's is to help Marco (Carnesecchi, ed.) and his teammates do well. We will have to be the glue for the group. I accepted this role with great happiness, it's not every day you get to play in a European Championship.” The harmony between the three goalkeepers is great: "We are well together. Stefano is more extroverted, I am a bit more introverted and Marco is a mix between the two of us. We are the only ones here who know the difficulties of our role and we support each other. What do I wish I could do like them? Carne distribution, he does it really well, and Stefano is a brilliant sweep-keeper. I, on the other hand, am very good at one-on-ones.”

 

The Azzurini's number for the Euros

Goalkeepers: 19 Elia Caprile (Bari), 1 Marco Carnesecchi (Cremonese), 22 Stefano Turati (Frosinone)
Defenders: 12 Raoul Bellanova (Inter), 20 Andrea Cambiaso (Bologna), 14 Giorgio Cittadini (Modena), 6 Matteo Lovato (Salernitana), 15 Caleb Okoli (Atalanta), 3 Fabiano Parisi (Empoli), 5 Lorenzo Pirola (Salernitana), 2 Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), 13 Destiny Iyenoma Udogie (Udinese);
Midfielders: 16 Edoardo Bove (Roma), 7 Salvatore Esposito (Spezia), 21 Fabio Miretti (Juventus), 4 Samuele Ricci (Torino), 10 Nicolò Rovella (Monza), 8 Sandro Tonali (AC Milan);
Attackers: 23 Nicolò Cambiaghi (Empoli), 18 Matteo Cancellieri (Lazio), 9 Lorenzo Colombo (Lecce), 17 Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds), 11 Pietro Pellegri (Torino).