In the beginning, there were five of them. Four of them advanced from the group stage, and as it seems, they have no intention of stopping. Yes, it’s about the Italian gaffers and the fact that they totally own this EURO. Before the tournament, somebody could’ve asked: “What do Italy, Turkey, Belgium, Slovakia, and Hungary have in common?” From the top of your mind – nothing. However, thanks to His Majesty Football, one thing came up: all these countries have Italian coaches. Moreover, four of them progressed the group stage and never in the history of the European Championships did more than two compatriots achieve that at the same tournament.4 – #EURo2024 is the first European Championship in which more than two coaches of the same nationality have progressed the group stage: Luciano Spalletti, Domenico Tedesco, Francesco Calzona and Vincenzo Montella. Tricolore. pic.twitter.com/rumGjB4IMi— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) June 28, 2024 Logically, the Italian leads the Azzurri. However, Luciano Spalletti could easily have been in Rome already, had it not been for that Mattia Zaccagni’s goal against Croatia. Switzerland is the next task, almost as tough as the ones in the group stage.The Little Airplane – Vincenzo Montella – flew over the Czech Republic and Georgia and took Turkey to the round of 16 from the second place, behind Portugal. The first step in the knockout phase brings a very challenging rival – Austria. Considering that France and the Netherlands were projected to win Group E instead of Ralf Rangnick’s crew could elicit a sigh of relief from Montella. Nevertheless, watching Austria crushing the Oranje and tormenting Les Blues probably gave him chills instead.Italy is secondary, clubs are “numero uno”Domenico Tedesco, who is, in fact, an Italian-German since his family emigrated from Italy to Germany when he was only two, managed to take Belgium to the next round, but not as easily as everyone expected. A shocking defeat against Slovakia and a salvaged draw after an agony against the motivated Ukrainians surely gave Tedesco headaches. His team’s next opponent – Kylian Mbappe’s France – probably makes his head hurt even more. Since everything in the 38-year-old’s life revolves around Italy and Germany (even his last name means “the German” in Italian), it could’ve been interesting to see the clash between these two teams in the 1/8 finals, but it wasn’t meant to be.5⃣out of 2⃣4⃣ coaches at EURO2024 will be Italian, an all-time tournament record for a single country 🇮🇹🤯 pic.twitter.com/U7j1itJdeF— 433 (@433) June 12, 2024 Slovakia is probably the biggest underdog in the round of 16 after Georgia. Although not a renowned coach, Francesco Calzona secured the third knockout phase at major tournaments for this central European country. Calzona’s success is even more remarkable, considering that a spell with Slovakia is his first job as a head coach. England awaits in the 1/8 finals – at first glance, the hardest possible rival, but judging by the Three Lions performance so far, Calzona’s crew stands a chance.Finally, even the fifth Italian in the tournament was on the verge of the round of 16. Hungary manager Marco Rossi and his boys had the last ticket for the knockout phase in their pockets, up until Georgia stunned the entire continent by beating Portugal and sending Hungary and Rossi home.EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – 1/8 FINALSSaturday19.00: (3.40) Switzerland (3.00) Italy (2.55)22.00: (1.65) Germany (4.00) Denmark (6.10)Sunday19.00: (1.45) England (4.50) Slovakia (9.50)22.00: (1.25) Spain (6.50) Georgia (15.0)Monday19.00: (1.95) France (3.40) Belgium (4.70)22.00: (1.43) Portugal (4.75) Slovenia (9.10)Tuesday19.00: (8.25) Romania (4.30) Netherlands (1.50)22.00: (1.95) Austria (3.50) Turkey (4.50)***odds are subject to change***
