Emanuele Giaccherini: Italy's talisman from Talla

"We know we’re not the favourites, but you can also win without starting out as favourites,” said Emanuele Giaccherini at the beginning of this tournament.

Two matches in, and already safely qualified, he and his team-mates are relishing their unaccustomed role of underdogs. And they are taking their inspiration from an unlikely source. Not Italy’s long history of success but Leicester City’s triumph against the odds in the Premier League.

“That must be an example for us,” says Giaccherini. “History is in the past and we’re a level below the others. So like Ranieri’s team we need to look beyond technical ability: we have to run harder than the others and rely on our tactical organisation to make the difference.