Italy managed to qualify for the semi-finals of the European Championships with a thrilling win over Belgium, but they have been dealt a major injury blow.
Left-back Leonardo Spinazzola has picked up an Achilles tendon injury, and he is set to be sidelined for several months.
The Italian defender has been in sensational form for his country this summer, and he has been one of the standout players of the European Championships so far.
Italy have been well organized at the back, but the absence of Spinazzola in the semi-final and potentially the final will come as a major setback for Roberto Mancini.
It will be interesting to see how the former Manchester City manager copes with the absence of his star defender.
There is always the option of using the Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri as the left-back in the next game, but the Premier League player has rarely played last season, and he may not be match-ready. But Mancini has enough confidence in him.
Having said that, Italy have two exceptional centre backs in Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. Both players are world-class defenders, and they could play a key role in the next few games.
Any potential replacement for Spinazzola is unlikely to perform at a high level. Therefore the likes of Bonucci and Chiellini will have to compensate for the drop in quality with their experience and defensive organization.
Italy have shown that they have enough quality at their disposal to win the tournament this summer, and although they will be a weakened side without Spinazzola, they certainly have what it takes to go all the way this summer.
As for Spinazzola, the defender will be absolutely devastated to miss out on the semi-finals after putting in consistent performances week in week out to guide his country to this stage.
Italy will take on Spain in the semi-finals of the European Championships next week, and then you left-back could be up against the likes of Ferran Torres.
The top teams always manage to overcome setbacks and find a way to win, and it will be interesting to see if Italy can do the same now.
