‘WE OWE A LOT TO ITALY PAIR’

THERE will be some familiar faces on the Italian bench at Wembley this evening.

And instead of booing the Italian anthem, fans inside the stadium might take a moment and cheer the influence that coach Roberto Mancini and assistant Gianluca Vialli (both above) have had on the English game.

As England passed the ball at will in the second half of extra-time on Wednesday, Danish legs no longer able to press or harry, it was hard not to reflect on just how far this team has come.

Both Vialli and Mancini spent time in England as players before swapping the pitch for the dugout. In 2000, Vialli became the first Italian manager to win the FA Cup.

Mancini then became the second coach from Italy (after Carlo Ancelotti) to lift the Premier League title. So it’s clear that the two heroes of Italy’s Euro 2020 journey have made an indelible mark on English football.

Just ask Frank Sinclair, who played alongside both – with Vialli at Chelsea and Mancini, during his brief 2001 loan from Lazio at Leicester.

“You watched England play on Wednesday night and it was like watching an Italian side from 25 years ago,” said Sinclair.

“And a lot of the credit for that has to go to the foreign coaches and players who have had such a massive influence on English football.

“Coaches like Pep Guardiola, Vialli and Mancini, they come into the English game and leave their stamp on the playing style.

“Everybody is trying to play out from the back, everyone is playing that high-pressing game and trying to keep possession.

“Vialli tweaked the playing style at Chelsea. His emphasis was on pressing and winning the ball higher up the pitch.

“The main credit for the way this England team plays is to Gareth Southgate, of course, but the influence from Italy has played its part.”