Bengaluru, July 13: Italy finally ended their 53-year wait for their second European Championship title as they defeated England in the final at Wembley in penalties on Sunday (July 11). The thrilling encounter between the two most consistent teams in the Euros ended 1-1 after 120 minutes and it was the Azzurri who emerged victorious in the shootouts.
Euro 2020 has been a tournament to remember for years and in this article, we will take a look at three managers who have impressed the most in the tournament.
Andriy Shevchenko
One of the greatest strikers of the modern era and the greatest ever footballer to have come from the country of Ukraine, Andriy Shevchenko, has been doing a pretty commendable job as the manager of his country since taking over from Mykhaylo Fomenko back in 2016 having formerly served as his assistant.
With a pretty average squad at his disposal, the former AC Milan great led Ukraine all the way to the quarter-finals of the Euros. The Blue and Yellow ended their run with a heavy 4-0 loss against England but they should still be proud of their European Championship campaign.
Andriy Shevchenko's attacking and fearless management has caught the eye in Euros and the 44-year-old should not be short of options if he decides to pursue a managerial career in club football.
Jaroslav Šilhavý
The Czech Republic have been one of the most inspiring teams in the Euros this time out and certainly punched above their weights as they made it all the way to the quarter-finals. Ranked 40th in FIFA rankings ahead of the tournament, the whole Czech Republic side deserves the plaudits for their incredible showings in the Euros and their manager Jaroslav Šilhavý particularly deserves a lot of credit.
The counter-attacking system of the Czech side has worked wonders in Euros and their highlight from the tournament was to knock out an in-form Netherlands side in the Round of 16.
Vladimir Petković
Switzerland have been another team to have stunned everyone with their exceptional display in the Euros and should be really proud of their achievements. They only managed to qualify from Group A as one of the best third-placed teams and possibly got the worst possible draw in the Round of 16 against World champions and outright favourites for the Euro silverware France.
However, Vladimir Petković's side showed a lot of character by coming back from 3-1 down to make it 3-3 against Les Bleus and take it to the penalties and eventually won the shootouts. They also held mighty Spain to 1-1 draw for 120 minutes in quarter-finals despite being a man down but could not repeat their heroics from the last game in tie-breaker.
Kasper Hjulmand
Denmark's story in Euro 2020 will be remembered for decades to come as the Danes showed their exceptionally strong mentality throughout the tournament and their manager Kasper Hjulmand deserves the plaudits for that.
The Danes came back from a near-tragedy with the star player of their nation and one of their all-time greats Christian Eriksen having suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark's opening fixture against Finland. They lost their two opening games but since then looked unstoppable and defied the odds by reaching the semis. Denmark gave a brave fight to England in the semi-final only to lose due to a controversial penalty decision in the closing moments of the game.
Roberto Mancini
Despite boasting a pretty incredible resume as a manager, Roberto Mancini never got the credit he deserves throughout his whole career but there should be no room for doubt over his credentials as a top manager following the job he has done with the Italian national team.
The Azzurri looked light-years apart from European glory before Mancini's appointment as they missed out on a place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup under Gian Piero Ventura but the former Manchester City manager has made it possible.
Italy are by no means a world-class squad all across the pitch but Mancini's incredible management has worked wonders as Italy have finally been able to conquer Europe after 53 long years. Italy are now 34 games unbeaten, just one behind Spain and Brazil's record that stood for 35 games and that speaks volumes about the wonderful work Mancini has done with the Azzurri.