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.
Manager - Roberto Donadoni
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.
Star Man - Luca Toni
The Bayern Munich forward is one of the most prolific strikers around - he has just hit 39 in all competitions domestically and has a ratio of almost a goal every two games for his country, including five in qualifying.
As the focal point of the Italy attack, Donadoni will be relying on Toni to keep up his terrific record and with two wide men to complement his threat in the air, Toni is one of the front-runners to finish as the tournament's top scorer.
The 31-year-old is arguably the most complete centre forward in the world at the moment, as he is as much of a threat on the ground as he is in the air, and links up play superbly well.
If the delivery from wide areas is good, Toni will take some stopping.
British interest
One of the few nations not to have a current Premier League player in their squad, three have experience of the British game - Christian Panucci, who spent a short spell on loan at Chelsea, Gennaro Gattuso, who played 40 games for Rangers early in his career and former Everton defender Marco Materazzi.
But one man who could move to England in the near future, if newspaper reports are to be believed, is Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal and with his superb range of passing and ability to score spectacular goals, it is no surprise.
Why they'll win
Donadoni has completely changed the style of the Italian national side and they could be one of the most entertaining sides in Austria and Switzerland, but they have not suffered at the back and as a result are arguably the best team in Europe at this moment in time.
Their squad is littered with World Cup winners from the campaign as well as a number of Champions League winners with AC Milan among others.
Experience could prove key as the tournament reaches its latter stages and there are few better in pressure situations than the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and Gennaro Gattuso.
The spine of the Italy side is as good as it gets, with Buffon in goal, Cannavaro captaining from central defence, Andrea Pirlo arguably the best central midfielder in Europe and Luca Toni up front, possibly the most complete striker around.
Many of the squad will be playing in their last major international tournament and will be desperate to bow out with winners medals.
Why they won't
With experience comes age, and with a number of players over the age of 30, fitness and pace may catch them out and there will be question marks over the attitude of Antonio Cassano, a man who has fallen out with almost every manager he has played under and the discipline of Daniele De Rossi, who was handed a four-match ban at the 2006 World Cup for headbutting USA's Brian McBride.
Although they have plenty of attacking options in Alessandro Del Piero and Antonio Cassano, should Toni pick up an injury or suspension, their back-up central strikers don't look as strong as some other nations.
The Azzurri may have won the World Cup four times, but they have only ever been champions of Europe twice, and that was back in 1968.
Their last experience of the Euros was not a good one as they crashed out at the group stage and that could happen again, having been drawn in a pool with heavyweights France, Holland and Romania.
