Paolo Nicolato's press conference opened the gathering of the National Under 21 team, who from this afternoon at the CPO in Tirrenia will start preparing for the final phase of the European Championships, scheduled from 21 June to 8 July in Romania and Georgia. After the drop-outs of Moise Kean and Niccolò Pierozzi, there are 27 Azzurrini at the disposal of Nicolato, who on Tuesday 13th June will be called upon to choose the 23 players who will be part of the European expedition: "Our first objective is to be able to become a team in a very short time" the coach shared in the press conference "cohesion in such short tournaments is fundamental. Beyond the value, players who want to stay will make the list of 23. I expect the boys to give 100 per cent, this is a moment where either you give everything or you give nothing'.

Since 2016 at Club Italia and from the summer of 2019 at the helm of the Under-21, in his fourth international competition Nicolato wants to raise the bar: "After a silver medal at the Under-19 European Championship, a World Cup semi-final with the Under-20 and a quarter-final with the Under-21, I would like to go further. Italy, which with its five continental trophies is, together with Spain, the most titled national team at the Under-21 level, has not won the European Championship for 19 years, since the national team of two future world champions such as De Rossi and Gilardino overcame Serbia with a 3-0 in the final, securing the qualification for the Olympic Games in Athens, where they won the bronze medal. And it is precisely qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics that is one of the Azzurrini's objectives, with the last qualification for the Games dating back to the 2008 Beijing edition. First, however, it is essential to pass the round, which will see Italy taking on in order France (22 June), Switzerland (25 June) and Norway (28 June): "This year has not been easy, we have played five friendlies with always different squads and many of these guys have not played together for some time. I hope we will be able to field a good team, then obviously the field will do the talking.

Also in the group are Sandro Tonali and Giorgio Scalvini, two youngsters on the senior national team roster in whom Nicolato has invested in the past: 'Sandro I have always felt very close to, I made him debut for the national team with the Under-18s and I have never lost contact with him. I respect him a lot and I'm glad he's here, he has always shown me his availability and gratitude. I hope Giorgio will also give us a great contribution, he is an added value and, even if he did not finish the season in a brilliant way, I am convinced that with his qualities he will give us a hand. Also because in the role of central defender we have had a few too many difficulties: I am thinking of the injuries to Ruggeri, Viti and also Lovato, who is not very well".

Among the Azzurrini who have found more space with the club in recent times is Edoardo Bove, who dragged Roma to the Europa League final with one of his goals, carving out a prominent role for himself in Mourinho's team: 'I played him even when he wasn't playing with Roma,' Nicolato says smiling, 'I'm pleased because it means that despite his age I can still see well.

After congratulating Nunziata and wishing good luck to the Under 20 team, who tomorrow evening will be engaged in the semi-final of the World Cup against South Korea ('I'm happy for Carmine and for Club Italia, which has achieved excellent results in recent years'), Nicolato also dwells on Moise Kean, who will leave the camp a few hours later: 'He is a player with different characteristics to those we have, he can become decisive in certain moments of the match. We brought the strongest youngsters we have here and he is one of them". Staying on the topic of forwards, Pellegri could be one of those number nines that Italy has struggled to produce in recent years: "Pietro is a strong striker, who combines great physical qualities with great technical qualities. I am also attached to him because of the physical setbacks he has had. He has grown a lot and is very committed, even though he hasn't been able to play continuously due to injuries'. Jacopo Fazzini, on the other hand, is making his first appearance with the Under 21: "He had an excellent end to the season, he is an interesting midfielder and deserved this call.

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Cremonese), Alessandro Sorrentino (Monza), Stefano Turati (Frosinone)
Defenders: Riccardo Calafiori (Basilea), Andrea Cambiaso (Bologna), Giorgio Cittadini (Modena), Matteo Lovato (Salernitana), Caleb Okoli (Atalanta), Fabiano Parisi (Empoli), Lorenzo Pirola (Salernitana), Giacomo Quagliata (Cremonese), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Destiny Iyenoma Udogie (Udinese), Alessandro Zanoli (Sampdoria);
Midfielders: Edoardo Bove (Roma), Giovanni Fabbian (Reggina), Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), Fabio Miretti (Juventus), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Nicolò Rovella (Monza), Sandro Tonali (Milan);
Forwards: Nicolò Cambiaghi (Empoli), Matteo Cancellieri (Lazio), Lorenzo Colombo (Lecce), Samuele Mulattieri (Frosinone), Gaetano Pio Oristanio (Volendam), Pietro Pellegri (Torino).

The schedule

(All times in CEST)

Wednesday 7 June
Until 12.00, gather at CPO di Tirrenia
14 - Press conference Nicolato (Zoom and in person)
17 - Training (open to press)

Thursday 8 June
10 - Training (closed)
17 - Training (closed)

Friday 9 June
10 - Training (closed)
15.30 - Meeting with UEFA for CPR campaign
17 - Training (closed)

Saturday 10 June
10 - Training (closed)
17 - Training (closed)

Sunday 11 June
10 - Training (closed)
17 - Training (closed)

Monday 12 June
10 - Training (open to press)
The squad break up and go home