A team reborn: How Italy rose from their 2018 WC ruins

Italy are one of the most successful teams in football history. They have four World Cups plus a Euro, in their trophy basket.

Azzurri never made it to the top of the Fifa ranking. Their highest ranking was third. But they never came down lower than 18 until August 21, 2018. 

Shockingly the European giants could not qualify for the Fifa World Cup 2018. And after that failure, they have turned things around, pretty well you must say.

Italy are one of the most ruthless teams in this ongoing Euro 2020 and they probably deserve to be the champions more than anyone else. Now they are in the semi-finals and have stretched their unbeaten streak to 32 games.

And they have also changed their 'defensive' football.

From the ashes of their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, a new Italy has emerged. The defensive steel of bygone generations remains but, under manager Roberto Mancini, there is a newfound flair.

It is very normal to wonder how they did it. How did they change their playing style and rose like a Phoenix from their 2018 World Cup ruins? 

A lot of credits must go to Roberto Mancini who found the wounds and sealed them with young players and an exciting display of football. He has brought the players together and the result is visible.

Fostering such a strong sense of togetherness has allowed Mancini to usher in a new, more adventurous style of play.

Italian football has traditionally been associated with miserly defending and a reluctance to play expansively, even when a game is won. Until this summer, Italy had never scored more than two goals in a single European Championship match, despite winning the competition once and twice finishing as runners-up.

Mancini abandoned Italy's usual defensive playing style. He chose to play one-touch passing. And so far the result is just as sweet as sugar. They are now in the semis with a new record of winning streak.

"This transformation really came down to a tricky time we encountered with the national team. We had this generational change with a number of young players and we wanted to achieve even more," Mancini told BBC Sport a few days earlier.

"We have tried to change our mindset, particularly with regards to the way we attack. We try to play a lot more on the front foot.

"There's a good mix. The players have done a very good job. They deserve the credit for having really bought into this style of play very quickly," he added

With this stellar Italy squad, he is playing to its strengths by adopting such a progressive approach.

There is a carousel of world-class midfielders, with Jorginho and Verratti dictating play, while Locatelli, Nicolo Barella and Matteo Pessina have all impressed in this tournament.

Highly effective wingers and midfielders push to score and their strong defence takes care of opponents attackers. 

In a departure from tradition, Italy are now also blessed with exciting wide attackers such as Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Chiesa to complement centre-forwards Ciro Immobile and Andrea Belotti.

Captain Giorgio Chiellini and Bonucci are the most experienced players in the team. They have appeared more than 100 times for the Blues. Experience does matter, and these two are the prime example of it.

Even Azzurri can rely on Francesco Acerbi, Gianluca Mancini and Alessandro Bastoni for their defense.

In their last Euro match against Belgium, they showed how furious they could get. It was their most complete performance in this tournament.

It is not easy to beat a team like Belgium. Italy did not suffer much in any position, in any moment to kick them out. 

Nicolo Barella's sharp footwork gave Italy a 1-0 lead. In the 44th minute, Lorenzo Insigne made it 2-0 with a mind-blowing bending goal on the top right corner.

After a 2-0 lead, Italy used to calm down and play defensive football in the past. But Mancini took a different path. His men kept on attacking in search of their third goal.

Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci kept the Belgian top scorer in silence. But he managed to put one back from the penalty and made it 2-1.  

Italy's only European Cup came in 1968 by beating Yugoslavia. After so long this is a chance for the Azzuri to be the champion of Europe again.

Mancini rightly said before the tournament began, "We want to provide a reason for the entire nation to celebrate."

And probably, the best is yet to come.