Azzurrini chasing the title (and the Olympic pass that has been missing for 16 years) – Corriere.it

Night before exams. But without tears or prayers: the Azzurrini, at this Under 21 European Championship which not only for them but for all of our football movement represents a fundamental maturity exam, show up with their homework done and the conviction of those who know they can play it up to the bottom. We respect everyone but we are not afraid of anyone, he made clear yesterday Salvatore Esposito, one of the stars of this compact and ambitious team that debuts in the tournament on Thursday 22 June at 20.45 (Rai 1) in Romania against the worst possible opponent, the France of AC Milan player Kalulu, favorite number one.

The other opponents will be Switzerland (June 25) and Norway (28). The minimum goal is the semifinal, but we start to win, also to give joy to the Italians after losing too many finals this season. The Under 21s must be closer to the senior national team, especially now that we need players to insert for the future, he reiterated yesterday coach Roberto Manciniwho will broaden his range of action by becoming supervisor of the U21.

We haven’t won the European Championship for almost twenty years, after winning 5 out of 7 editions between 1992 and 2004. The mission of this team is to revive those glories: a return to the future. That was the golden age of our football, demonstrating the fact that if the youth movement works, everything else works too. The only way to start again from the boys and the recent Nations League was yet another confirmation. The exploit of the Under 20, who reached the final of the World Cup, is the trail to follow.

The Football Federation is very keen on this appointment, also because by reaching the semifinals we then go to the Olympics, which we have not had since Beijing 2008. Rules: The two finalists and the winner of any third place play-off will take part in Paris 2024: should France already qualified as host country finish in the top four, all semi-finalists will automatically get a ticket to the Olympics. The mission was tough but possible, so much so that the (outgoing) coach Paolo Nicolato had the big players at his disposal: Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali, 23, captain; Giorgio Scalvini, 19, defender of Atalanta; Wilfried Gnonto, 19, Leeds forward. Marco Carnesecchi will be in goal, who after an excellent year in Cremona will return to Atalanta, this time to stay there, probably as a starter. Juventus are looking for him, to make him Szczesny’s deputy, but the boy wants to play. And he’s right.

In Turin he would have found 19-year-old Fabio Miretti, a jewel in the Juventus midfield, who Allegri is thinking of keeping for the year of the relaunch. Class 2001 are instead Samuele Ricci and Pietro Pellegri, director and center forward of Turin. One year older, so to speak, is the Inter player born in 2000 Raoul Bellanova: closed in the Nerazzurri by Dumfries and Darmian, he could end up right at Toro to continue his maturation. We’ll see if Lorenzo Colombowho returned to Milan after a positive season at Lecce, will leave again.

The blue stars are different: Udogies from Udinese, Rovella from Juventus, Bove from Roma, Cancellieri from Lazio, Parisi and Cambiaghi from Empoli, Okoli from Atalanta. In the end, it turns and turns, for all the single theme: to improve they need only to play. As happens more easily abroad, where trust in young people is greater. In France, so to speak, the starting striker is called Elie Wahi and scored 19 goals in 33 games for Montpellier, becoming Europe’s most prolific 2003 goalscorer. Germany even counts on a striker from 2004, Youssoufa Moukoko, who came close to the Bundesliga title with Dortmund. For him, as for everyone, it’s time for exams. They will be great nights. Of dreams, cups and (future) champions. Let’s try.