Three years ago, Italy surprisingly won the postponed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, despite not being considered one of the tournament’s front-runners when the action kicked off.
Built upon the brick wall-like defensive pairing of Gorgo Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, the Azzurri swept aside Belgium and Spain in the knockout stages to meet England in the Wembley-hosted showpiece. With “It’s Coming Home” being the talk of the continent, the Italians rained on the Three Lions’ parade, winning after a nail-biting penalty shootout before taking the trophy to Rome.
Both of those central defensive pillars have since headed off into the sunset, but manager Luciano Spalletti at least has plenty of cover at the heart of the backline. The one position he doesn’t have many options for is the striking department. In the summer of 2021, an in-form and in his prime Ciro Immobile was the one that Roberto Mancini could bank on to provide the firepower, although the Lazio striker never really fulfilled his potential with the national team. It is no coincidence that he wasn’t even considered for Italy’s preliminary 30-man squad this time.
As such, Italy’s striking options are even more limited. The bookies have taken note as well, with soccer betting odds providers pricing them up as distant +1600 sixth favourite to retain their title.
Three men currently find themselves in contention for a starting berth for their country’s opening game of the tournament against Albania at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park on June 15th. But who are they? And who should be the one who gets the nod from Spalletti?
Gianluca Scamacca
With his towering presence and clinical finishing, Gianluca Scamacca once seemed like the heir apparent to Italy’s striking throne. Standing at 6’5″, the Atalanta hitman possesses not only the physicality to trouble defenders but also a delicate touch that belies his imposing figure. However, inconsistency has plagued the target man, leading to concerns over his reliability on the international stage.
At club level, the 25-year-old has had a brilliant campaign. He has netted 19 goals in all competitions, as well as providing a further eight assists. His six goals on the continental stage have been crucial to leading the Bergamo club to its first-ever European final as they battle it out with German champions Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin in the Europa League final. However, on the international stage, he has been found wanting.
Scamacca has already featured 15 times for the Azzurri, but he has found the net just once. He was dropped for the crucial qualifier against Ukraine late last year, but he has since responded well and forced his way back into the reckoning. His ability to score from a distance and his aerial prowess remain undisputed, but for Italy to succeed, Scamacca needs to find a level of consistency befitting an international striker.
Giacomo Raspadori
Giacomo Raspadori offers a stark contrast to Scamacca. Diminutive in stature but immense in talent, the Napoli frontman embodies the quintessential Italian forward — technically gifted, tactically flexible, and always a step ahead. His breakout performances with Sassuolo injected hope that Italy finally had a striker capable of following in the footsteps of the likes of Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti, but since making the move to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, things haven’t worked out.
The 2023 Scudetto winners forked out €27m to secure his services last summer, but he has netted just seven times in Serie A since making the move. He has found himself firmly locked out of the starting eleven in Naples thanks to Victor Osimhen’s continued brilliance, and he has also struggled to break into the Azzurri starting lineup as he was expected to do.
Raspadori’s knack for finding pockets of space and linking up play makes him an invaluable asset, especially against tightly packed defences. However, questions linger over his goal-scoring consistency at the highest level, a concern that Italy cannot afford to overlook as they head to Germany this summer. Scamacca’s ability to hold up the ball could prove invaluable in the crunch group-stage clashes against Croatia and Spain, and that may well mean that Raspadori has to settle for a spot on the bench.
Mateo Retegui
Such is Italy’s dire striking situation, former manager Roberto Mancini was forced to look overseas to find a new number nine. That led him to Argentina and more specifically to Mateo Retegui, who qualifies for the Azzurri through his Italian grandfather. He was shockingly called up despite never setting foot in the country and immediately hit the ground running with a well-taken goal against England. Since then, he has made the move to Genoa, but he has only managed to find the net seven times in Serie A.
His performances have shown that he possesses the qualities of a classic number 9 — strong, direct, and always lurking in the area, ready to pounce on any opportunity. Yet, his relative inexperience at the international level poses a significant gamble for Spalletti, but even though he scored just seven goals in 29 appearances in his debut Serie A season, four goals in six appearances with Italy show that he feels at ease with the Azzurri and remains a quite reliable option for the No.9 role in Germany.