The mastermind behind the Azzurri’s European Championship triumph at Wembley, Robert Mancini, has praised two Serie A clubs in particular, who he believes have taken Italian football to the next level.
When asked in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport regarding which clubs resemble the Italian national football team the most, Milan and Atalanta were the duo mentioned by the former Manchester City and Inter tactician.
“Milan and Atalanta are the teams that resemble Italy the most. They raise individual performances thanks to their game,” he said
They are the only two of the top seven teams to retain their respective managers in Stefano Pioli and Gian Piero Gasperini.
He said: “It’s no coincidence that they are the only ones to have retained their managers. Pioli and Gasperini share the principles: pressing, collective and offensive play. Both must strengthen the market.”
The Azzurri stormed to victory at the EURO 2020, thanks to commendable performances all the way throughout the tournament. Both the teams had only three representatives in total – Atalanta with Rafael Toloi and Matteo Pessina, whereas Milan were represented by Gianluigi Donnarumma.