Euro 2022: A guide to the Italy team

Euro 2022 is taking place at 10 venues across England between 6-31 July. Italy are in Group D, along with France, Belgium and Iceland. Tiziana Pikler, director of Italian women's football magazine L Football, assesses their chances this summer.

How will Italy do?

In Italy there is great anticipation for the women's national team for two reasons: The first is the excellent performance made in France 2019 when the team reached the quarter-finals; the second is the lack of qualification, for the second consecutive edition, of the men's national team for the World Cup in Qatar.

However, recent performances of the women's team have not been very convincing, although a victory in Switzerland in April allowed them to move into top spot in their World Cup qualifying group.

This shows that the team have built a strong unit and know how to get results when it counts. The first goal for this summer's Euros is to qualify from the group stages.

Who is the manager?

Milena Bertolini is highly regarded by both the media and the team. She's a fantastic woman, calm, always available but at the same time authoritative and with clear ideas. Her team plays possession-based football.

As a player, she spent 15 seasons in the Italian top flight and started coaching after finishing her career in 2001. She coached at Verona and Reggiana before moving to Brescia in 2012 where she had her greatest success, including reaching the Champions League quarter-finals in 2016. That team is the basis of this current national team.

Bertolini, who entered the Italian football Hall of Fame in 2018, is now faced with the difficult task of meeting expectations as well as having to initiate a necessary generational change because Italy have a rather high average age in the squad.

Who is the star player?

Our champions are in attack - Cristiana Girelli, 32, and Barbara Bonansea, 31. Bonansea is probably the Italian attacker with the best physical prowess, which is so important in modern football. She has great vision, excellent technique and a great ability to see spaces in the opponent's area.

Also, keep an eye on Valentina Giacinti, 28, who is waiting for Euro 2022 to show her value. She is a pure striker of the penalty area, very strong on the counter-attack and ready to seize the moment in front of goal.

Cristiana Girelli was part of a Juventus team who won a league and cup double, as well as reaching the Champions League quarter-finals

Who is the rising star?

Here in Italy there was a lot of surprise, and controversy, due to the lack of call-ups for, first of all, Annamaria Serturini, but also for her Roma team-mate Giada Greggi.

So aside from them, defender Martina Lenzini, 23, had a great season at Juventus, both in the Serie A and in the Champions League. These performances have earned her the call-up to the national team where she will be a possible alternative for centre-backs Sara Gama and Elena Linari. Although, unfortunately at the end of May, she suffered a hamstring injury and her condition will have to be monitored.

Arianna Caruso, 22, has been playing for Juventus since the birth of the team in 2017. The midfielder was prolific in front of goal (19 appearances; eight goals) in a season in which the goals of the Juventus strikers were missing. Unlike Lenzini, she will probably be a starter with the national team.

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Francesca Durante (Inter Milan), Laura Giuliani (AC Milan), Katja Schroffenegger (Fiorentina).

Defenders: Elisa Bartoli (AS Roma), Valentina Bergamaschi (AC Milan), Lisa Boattin (Juventus), Lucia Di Guglielmo (AS Roma), Maria Luisa Filangeri (Sassuolo), Sara Gama (Juventus), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elena Linari (AS Roma).

Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Juventus), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus), Aurora Galli (Everton), Manuela Giugliano (AS Roma), Martina Rosucci (Juventus), Flaminia Simonetti (Inter Milan).

Forwards: Barbara Bonansea (Juventus), Agnese Bonfantini (Juventus), Valentina Giacinti (Fiorentina), Cristiana Girelli (Juventus), Martina Piemonte (AC Milan), Daniela Sabatino (Fiorentina).