Under-17 team guide: Italy

For Italy's Under-17 team page click here

Italy are one of the favourites going into the the UEFA European Under-17 Championship after an impressive qualifying campaign. However, they have been drawn in arguably the tougher of the two groups for the finals in Portugal, with Israel, England and Spain sure to offer stiff opposition.

THE COACH:
Antonio Rocca is a former Atalanta BC, Foggia Calcio and Varese FC midfield player. During his career he mostly played in Serie B, although he also had two seasons in Serie A with Atalanta in 1976/77 and 1977/78, collecting 53 appearances and scoring three goals. Rocca started working as a coach for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in 1989.

Famous names
During his time as coach of the country's youth teams, Rocca has worked with several players who have gone on to make a real name for themselves, such as Juventus FC's Gianluigi Buffon and Marco Di Vaio, AC Milan's Alessandro Nesta and Massimo Ambrosini and AS Roma's Francesco Totti.

Third-time lucky?
Rocca has twice been a runner-up in youth championships - with the Under-18 side in 1995 in Athens (1-4 against Spain in the final) and with the Under-16 side in 1998 in Glasgow (1-2 against Republic of Ireland). He will be hoping it is third time lucky in Portugal.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Cesena Calcio's Nicola Pozzi and Atalanta BC's Marco Motta both scored three goals during the qualifying campaign. Motta is yet another product of Atalanta's youth academy, arguably the best in Italy. A strong and skilled defender, he can also play in midfield. Born in May 1986 he is dangerous in attack especially from set-pieces, having hit six goals in 15 matches with the national youth sides.

Gallacio out to impress
Another youngster who will be out to impress is Michele Gallaccio - a versatile forward who can play both on the flanks or as a second striker. Despite being quite small, his pace, power and scent for goalscoring make him a difficult player for opponents to mark. In all, he has scored six goals in 12 matches for Italy's youth sides. He began his career at S.S. Lazio before moving to Chelsea FC in England where he plays for the junior team.

ROUTE TO THE FINALS:
Italy were among the most impressive qualifiers, winning five of their six qualifying matches while scoring 15 goals and conceding just two.

Hard-fought win
Drawn in Group 1 in the first qualifying round, Italy set out their stall early on with a 5-0 win against Andorra and a 2-0 success against Latvia. The final group game saw Rocca's side come from behind and earn a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Bulgaria to top the group - Gallaccio scoring the winner early in the second half.

Holding their nerve
In the second qualifying round, Italy saw off stern challenges from both Belgium and Germany to qualify for the finals. After beating the Belgians 3-0, Italy had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Germany which left the group up for grabs going into the final round of games. Italy held their nerve to beat Azerbaijan 2-0, with goals from Motta and Pozzi, while the Germans missed their chance by losing 2-1 against Belgium.

Italy youth honours:
UEFA European Under-16 Championship:
Winners 1987
Runners-up 1986, 1993, 1998
UEFA European Under-18 Championship:
Runners-up 1986, 1995, 1999