For a footballing nation as proud as Italy, their abject failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia might have sent managers running as far away from the top job as possible. Not for Roberto Mancini. He took one look at his country's infrastructure and saw a phoenix ready to burst from the ashes as he took the reins from the diastrous Gian Piero Ventura in May 2018.

Three years later, he has transformed a withering and underperforming group of players into real contenders for Euro 2020 having gone 25 games unbeaten. The secret to their remarkable revival? Young talent, passion and trust', former Man City boss Mancini claims.