Italy go into the tournament as one of the favourites thanks to their new attacking style of play.
Italy got off to a disappointing start in qualifying for Austria and Switzerland with a poor 1-1 home draw with Lithuania followed up by a 3-1 defeat by France in Paris in a repeat of the 2006 World Cup Final.
Add that to a 2-0 home friendly defeat to Croatia in Roberto Donadoni's first match in charge, and the pressure was beginning to build on the new man already.
But Italy soon showed their class in what was a tricky group with nine wins in a row only interrupted by a goalless home draw in the return match against France.
And that impressive run of form was down to Donadoni's persistance with an attacking 4-3-3 formation, in contrast to many Italian teams of the past.
But not only do they have the attacking ability, they have also retained the determination and defensive quality of their World Cup winning side.
Luca Toni is the focal point of the Azzurri attack, supported by Antonio De Natalie, who often joins Toni through the middle, from the right, and Mauro Camoranesi from the left.
With Danielle De Rossi providing more attacking flair from a midfield held together superbly well by Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo, it's easy to see why Italy are regarded as one of the favourites to win the tournament for the second time.
Donadoni has created a much more attack-minded team while retaining the solid base with which the Italians are closely associated with.
Despite a slow start, the 44-year-old has now won over his fiercest of critics, having led the Azzurri to nine wins out of ten games in qualifying.
The former AC Milan midfielder was a surprise choice by the Italian Football Federation to succeed World Cup winner Marcello Lippi, his previous managerial experiences coming at relative minnows Lecce, Livorno and Genoa.
Donadoni has also shown he is not afraid to against popular opinion, as he ditched the likes of Alessandro Del Piero and Antonio Cassano before recalling them for the finals, and he let Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta retire from international football without much fuss, despite calls from fans and media alike to persuade them to stay on.
Italy's new attacking style could be the key to them becoming simultaneous World and European Champions.
