Italy are the thirteenth team to announce their 23-player squad for UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. The deadline for the competition is on June 26th, with Le Azzurre announcing theirs on the last day (or maybe not, as there are other reports now saying its the 27th of June). However, Milena Bertolini is able to make changes if there is a serious injury or illness, so this squad may still change.
Italy are in a fairly tough group with France, Belgium and Iceland, and due to France’s firepower, they’ll be fighting with Iceland (and especially Belgium) for second place in the group. They have been developing in recent years, including gaining their first World Cup qualification in the 2019 tournament. They got to the quarters, where they lost against the current Euros winners the Netherlands 2-0, which proves that they are a competitive force.
THE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Francesca Durante, Laura Giuliani, Katja Schroffenegger.
Defenders: Elisa Bartoli, Valentina Bergamaschi, Lisa Boattin, Lucia Di Guglielmo, Maria Luisa Filangeri, Sara Gama, Martina Lenzini, Elena Linari.
Midfielders: Arianna Caruso, Valentina Cernoi, Aurora Galli, Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Martina Rosucci, Flaminia Simonetti.
Forwards: Barbara Bonansea, Agnese Bonfantini, Valentina Giacinti, Cristiana Girelli, Martina Piemonte, Daniela Sabatino.
WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR?
Aurora Galli is the only player outside of Italy to feature in this squad, but she features for good reason. The Everton maestro has already shown her worth in Italy, throughout her time at Inter Milano, Torres Calcio, Mozzanica, Hellas Verona and Juventus over a 10-year period. Despite that, she is still at the young age of 25, and so she will improve. But her experience does show, but will she let it show at the Euros?
Barbara Bonansea is a well-known figure in this Italy side, and likely will be again at this tournament. The 31-year-old Juventus player has played for La Azzure since 2012, picking up 27 goals in her 69 matches, a 0.39 goal per game ratio. Bonansea is a top-quality player, and has been for over 15 years, with her 108 games at Torino, her 117 games at Brescia and her 89 games at Juventus. Not much needs to be said here apart from that Barbara should be a thorn in any defence she comes up against.
Italy captain Sara Gama will have to keep a clear head in order to make sure her side progresses, as well as being a rock-solid defender. As captain for both Juventus and Italy, Gama has a lot of experience with these players, as 9 out of the 23 selected play for Juventus. Sara has played for the national side since 2006, picking up 126 caps, so the 33-year-old should know what she’s doing.
