Rory McIlroy believes missing the cut at the Scottish Open could prove beneficial as he bids for glory at The Open.
The four-time major winner, who claimed the Claret Jug in 2014, endured a testing couple of days at the Renaissance Club, where an intruder attempted to steal his club.
McIlroy failed to make the weekend but that gave the 32-year-old extra preparation time ahead of the 149th Open at Royal St George's.
He will try to atone for a poor showing at the 2019 edition of golf's oldest major, where he missed the cut as the home hope at Royal Portrush.
The omens bode well for McIlroy, who has bounced back to win the next tournament in three of the previous nine instances where he has seen his campaign ended after two rounds.
Asked if that fact was mere coincidence, McIlroy said: "No, I certainly don't think it's a chance statistic.
"Look, I think in golf you always learn more about your game when you've missed a cut or struggled or not played as well. I think anyone can play well, anyone can hit the ball great and give themselves chances to win, but you just learn more.
"I've always learnt more from disappointments and from not doing as well, but I've always tried to learn. I've always tried to figure out, okay, why did this week not go so well, and then you give yourself a couple of thoughts and they're fresh in your mind going into the next week.
"That's why I say in golf there's always next week, and that's a great thing, because you can right some wrongs pretty quickly. I've been able to do that in the past.
"I missed the cut at Memorial a couple years ago, went down and won the Canadian Open the next week. Yeah, missed the cut at the Masters and then went and my next start was Quail Hollow and I won.
"Golf always just gives you another opportunity to go out and play well and to see if you've learned from your mistakes, and I've always made it a priority in my career to really try to learn from my mistakes, all the way back to what happened at Augusta in 2011 and going and winning the U.S. Open the next major."
Indeed, after his disappointment in Northern Ireland in 2019, McIlroy closed that year by winning the FedExCup, which he said "gave me a few million reasons to feel better".
He will tee off at the Kent links in pursuit of a second Open title on Thursday at 15:21 local time alongside Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith.
Iconic St Lucian high jumper Levern Spencer is yet to achieve her dream of standing on the Olympic medal podium, but very few could dispute the great heights she has already achieved for the tiny island and the wider Caribbean as a whole.
It would have been easy to sit back and accept that odds are stacked against her. After all, she hails from an island with a population of less than 200,000 and much fewer resources to spare for sport than much bigger nations.
She did not begin competing in the sport until 14, much later than many of her peers, and at 5’ 9’ in a field where competitors consistently range well over 6ft she is routinely one of the smallest. But, throughout her life and career, Spencer has habitually slain her fair share of Goliaths.
What she may lack in height, is more than made up for in a big heart filled with determination that has driven her journey of unprecedented achievement so far and the burning desire to keep flying higher.
In total, Spencer, who began representing St Lucia as a junior some 22-years ago, has claimed 21 gold medals for her country so far. Most famously, she won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, a first for both herself and her country. It was a proud moment.
“St Lucia had never won a gold medal at this event, and it was my fifth Commonwealth Games, and winning a gold, having won two bronze medals in 2014 and 2010, it was a big deal for us,” Spencer recalled.
“Being the one to create history is something I will always remember…whenever I stand on the podium hearing my country’s national anthem, seeing the flag being flown, it’s always very special and emotional. I always had in the back of the mind that it is because of my efforts, because of something I did,” she added.
As with a great many things, barring a twist of fate, the world might never have heard of Spencer. Things could have turned out much differently for herself and the country. The athlete did not consider doing the jumps as a very young athlete and only gave it some consideration after it was suggested by a teacher.
“One of my teachers at the time just advised that I do the high jump for my house (intra-school team) and I won the event not knowing anything about technique or the high jump. So, I’m so thankful that I did not say no and gave it a try,” Spencer said.
“I’m just happy that, that teacher who was my first coach as well, Mr. Gregory Lewin, introduced me to the sport. Sometimes it’s good to listen and say yes, you’ll give it a try. Maybe if I had said no, I probably would not have been the high jumper I am today.”
The rest as they say is history, in addition to winning numerous medals and awards, Spencer went on break the county’s national records on several occasions. In fact, she set the first when she was just a 14-year-old, not too long after starting the event. She set the current mark of 1.98m in 2010.
At 37, the jumper is heading into the twilight of her career and the time for Olympic glory has all but run out. Heading into her fourth Olympic Games, however, hope burns eternal that she may be able to create history for St Lucia, yet again, but this time on the grandest of stages. Spencer knows it will take something extraordinary.
“In order to win Olympic gold, I would definitely need something special on that day. It might take around a clearance of 2m, which I haven’t done but it’s possible, anything is possible. I would need something special on that day,” she said.
“Two high jumpers that inspire me are Ruth Beitia and Chaunte Lowe, Ruth despite her age and not having an Olympic medal after three attempts, just like me, she kept going until she won her gold medal and 37 and Chaunte because like me she is one of the smallest in the field and always manages to be competitive despite having to overcome so many challenges.”
In truth, however, even if the athlete were to leave the Games empty-handed, perhaps, for the final time, she had more importantly already served as inspiration for future generations and when it comes to putting her country on the map, flew well clear of that bar, with plenty to spare, a long time ago.
“Despite the many medals that I have won, what I regard as my biggest success in my athletic career is that coming from a tiny nation of only 180,000 people I was able to work hard and be competitive against the best in the world. Sometimes on many occasions defeating them. I am happy I have served as an inspiration for up-and-coming St Lucian athletes and I know that I gave my all and my best at whatever I did and persevered to the end.”
Leonardo Bonucci claimed the booing of the Italian national anthem by England fans helped to inspire the Azzurri to Euro 2020 glory.
Italy beat England 3-2 on penalties in Sunday's final at Wembley after the match had finished 1-1 following extra time.
Bonucci, who equalised to cancel out Luke Shaw's opener – the quickest goal ever scored in a European Championship final – and then converted his spot-kick in the shoot-out, was a rock at the heart of Italy's defence throughout the tournament.
No defender made more interceptions at Euro 2020 than Bonucci, whose tally of 12 tied him with Ukraine's Mykola Matvienko.
Several incidents occurred outside the ground on Sunday, with groups of supporters without tickets managing to force entry into Wembley.
With an already tense atmosphere perhaps not aided by these scenes, boos rang around the stadium during the Italian anthem.
Bonucci, though, said the jeers only helped lift Roberto Mancini's team and, in particular, his defensive partner Giorgio Chiellini.
"They whistled the anthem. They thought they had brought it home," Bonucci told Radio RAI 1.
"This, to me and the old man there [Chiellini] did nothing but increase our motivation. It was a personal satisfaction for me and Giorgio, who have not always been getting the praise we deserved."
Italy paraded the trophy in an open-top bus tour on Monday and Bonucci dedicated the win to those who had lost loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic, with Italy one of the worst-hit nations in Europe.
He also paid tribute to Azzurri legend Paolo Rossi, who died from lung cancer in December last year.
"The dedication goes to those who left us in this year and a half," he added.
"Among so many champions, as done for Davide Astori, I want to make a special dedication to Paolo Rossi, a great man.
"The cup is for him and the Italians who have suffered."
Gianluigi Donnarumma ultimately proved Italy's hero in London, as he kept out Bukayo Saka's penalty to seal victory.
Had the England youngster scored, the shoot-out would have gone to sudden death, with Jordan Pickford having previously denied Jorginho.
However, the midfielder joked that his miss was a deliberate ploy to enable Donnarumma – named UEFA's Player of the Tournament – would get the glory.
"It was all planned. I knew that Donnarumma would have saved it," Jorginho quipped in an interview with SportTV.
"I always give everything I have for the team, but unfortunately, sometimes it's not enough.
"I ended up missing the penalty, and in that moment the world collapsed around me, because I wanted to hand Italy the win. Luckily, we have this phenomenon in goal that saved me."
The 719 minutes racked up by Donnarumma was the most by any player at Euro 2020; he missed only the closing stages of Italy's win against Wales in the group stage and also helped the Azzurri to a penalty shoot-out win over Spain in the semi-finals.
In fact, of the five shoot-outs he has been involved in so far in his career for club and country, Donnarumma – who is set to join Paris Saint-Germain – has always finished on the winning side.
Jon Rahm is eyeing a historic double at The Open Championship this week as he seeks to add to his U.S. Open triumph.
The Spaniard is among the leading contenders at Royal St George's after claiming his maiden major at Torrey Pines last month.
Just six players have doubled up by winning both The Open and the U.S. Open in the same year, with Bobby Jones having done so twice before Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods repeated the feat.
Woods managed it in 2000 and Rahm has the chance to join that elite club 21 years on.
"It would be pretty incredible to win both Opens in one year. It would be amazing," said Rahm.
"I did have a sense of relief after winning the first major. I felt like for the better part of five years, all I heard is major, major, major just because I was playing good golf, as if it was easy to win a major championship.
"But the fact that you are expected to win one means nothing, but you're playing good golf, so a bit of relief in that sense, but it doesn't really change.
"There's still the next one to win, so I still come with the same level of excitement obviously and willingness to win.
"I'm focused on the fact it would be pretty incredible to be able to win The Open. Nobody after Seve has been able to do that [from Spain]."
Rahm, who will tee off alongside reigning champion Shane Lowry and 2010 winner Louis Oosthuizen on Thursday, also underlined why he was sticking to his plans to play at the Olympics despite many players having opted out of competing in Japan.
"I can't speak for other people, so I don't know why they're opting out of it, you'd have to ask them," he said.
"I'm not going to speak for them. In my case, I've been really fortunate enough to represent Spain at every level as an amateur since I was 13 years old.
"I've been able to win many team events representing Spain worldwide. Once you turn professional you don't really get that chance. You get a little bit of the Ryder Cup, but it's not the same thing as the Olympics or a World Cup maybe.
"To be able to have that chance as a pro, something that up until four or five years ago was not even a possibility, to me it was something I would never doubt.
"You get the chance to call yourself an Olympian, which is only a very select group of people in history that can call themselves that, and if you were to get a medal, especially a gold medal, you're even more of a select group, right?"
France claimed their first away win over Australia for 31 years as they secured a nail-biting 28-26 victory in the second Test at AAMI Park.
Les Bleus let victory slip through their grasp in a dramatic finish in the first game between the nations in Brisbane last week.
Despite controlling much of Wednesday's contest in Melbourne, France risked suffering a similar fate and losing the series when Michael Hooper crossed in the 71st minute and Noah Lolesio then gave Australia their first lead of the match with a 40-metre penalty in the 75th minute.
But there was a final twist in the tale as France gained a penalty in the scrum and Melvyn Jaminet split the uprights to take his tally to 23 points and give his side a first triumph against the Wallabies in Australia since June 30, 1990.
The boot of Jaminet and Damian Penaud's first-half try had France ahead 16-13 at the interval, with Jake Gordon keeping the Wallabies in touching distance by going over from close range in the 38th minute.
Lolesio levelled matters at 16-16 six minutes after the restart but Jaminet's accuracy from the tee gave France a seemingly commanding nine-point lead, the tourists dictating matters despite a bruising performance from Marika Koroibete.
Koroibete gained 181 metres for the Wallabies, but it was their captain who looked to have turned the tide, Hooper scoring for the third successive game for the first time in his Australia career. Lolesio converted from out wide and then knocked over a long-range penalty.
Yet France were not to be denied this time around, an immense effort in the scrum allowing Jaminet to set up a decider back at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm will tee off alongside 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year Shane Lowry at the 2021 Open Championship on Thursday.
Spaniard Rahm won his maiden major at Torrey Pines, edging out Louis Oosthuizen by one stroke, and is among the favourites to prevail at Royal St George's this week.
Lowry was a popular winner when golf's oldest major was held at Royal Portrush two years ago, with the 2020 event having been cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Irishman, whose trio goes out at 09:58 local time and also includes 2010 victor Oosthuizen, will seek to become the first man to defend the Claret Jug at the Kent links since Harry Vardon in 1899.
Any superstitious players might have hoped to be drawn in Branden Grace's group, as he has played with the eventual winner in his first two rounds at each of the previous two Opens.
The South African featured with Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018 and Lowry in Northern Ireland the following year.
Jordan Spieth, a winner in 2017, and 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau are the lucky pair, with that group teeing off at 09:25.
Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy will head out in the afternoon with Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith, while world number one Dustin Johnson starts his bid for a first Open title at 10:20 with Will Zalatoris and Justin Rose for company.
Brooks Koepka is an 08:45 starter and the star attraction of a threesome that includes Jason Kokrak and Garrick Higgo.
Darren Clarke, who prevailed when last Royal St George's last hosted in 2011, is an 08:25 starter alongside Bernd Wiesberger and amateur Joe Long.
The action will begin at 06:35, with English trio Richard Bland, Andy Sullivan and Marcus Armitage having the honour.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the biggest omission as UEFA named the Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament.
Five players from competition winners Italy made the best XI announced on Tuesday, though there was no place for Golden Boot winner Ronaldo.
The Portugal forward scored five times, as did the Czech Republic's Patrik Schick, but Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku got the nod in a front three with Federico Chiesa and Raheem Sterling.
Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire were the other England representatives in the team.
But there was no place for fellow defender Luke Shaw, who scored in the final to cap a fine tournament, or his Manchester United team-mate Paul Pogba, one of the tournament's stars before France's elimination in the last 16.
Player of the tournament Gianluigi Donnarumma was joined by Italy quartet Leonardo Bonucci, Leonardo Spinazzola, Jorginho and Chiesa.
However, midfield star Marco Verratti missed out despite some influential performances in the knockout stages.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Pedri were the sole representatives for Denmark and Spain respectively, both teams having gone out in the semi-finals.
Lukaku also edged out Harry Kane, Karim Benzema and Emil Forsberg, who all ended up with the same goal tally (four) as the Inter forward.
The best players to miss out
Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer enjoyed an incredible tournament, saving a Kylian Mbappe penalty in his side's shoot-out win against France in the last 16.
He made a tournament-high 21 saves in total, 10 of those coming in the eventual defeat to Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Denzel Dumfries saw his reputation enhanced during Euro 2020, even if the Netherlands were sent packing by the Czech Republic at the last-16 stage.
He became just the second ever Netherlands player, after Ruud van Nistelrooy, to score in his first two European Championship appearances, while also helping his side to a couple of clean sheets in his four outings.
Bonucci and Maguire earning selection meant their centre-back colleagues Giorgio Chiellini and John Stones narrowly missed out despite playing crucial roles.
England conceded just two goals all tournament, with only one of those coming in open play. A large part of that was down to ever-present defender Stones, who won 20 aerial challenges – the joint-second most of any defender in the competition, one behind Maguire.
Shaw was left out for England's opening game against Croatia, but the full-back soon made himself a consistent presence. He was even compared to the great Roberto Carlos after starring with two assists against Ukraine in the quarter-finals.
The Manchester United defender provided three assists in total and netted the fastest-ever goal in a European Championship final with his volley against Italy. Those four goal involvements were bettered only by Schick (five) and Ronaldo (six).
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Verratti was a major fitness doubt for the tournament and sat out Italy's first two matches, but made an emormous impact in the following five games.
Since his first game against Wales on June 20, all-rounder Verratti ranked first among all midfielders at Euro 2020 for chances created (14), passes completed (388), progressive carries (59), tackles (18) and recoveries of possession (37).
Pogba likely paid the price for his team's exit rather than his own displays.
He scored a stunning goal against Switzerland after getting two assists in the 2-2 group-stage draw with Portugal, and his supreme link-up play with Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Benzema was among the highlights of the early weeks of the tournament.
Schick not only scored the joint-most goals, but he was responsible for surely the most memorable one of the lot - a 49.7-yard lob against Scotland, the furthest ever distance a goal has been scored at a European Championships.
The Bayer Leverkusen forward found the net in all but one of his side's games, with three of his goals coming from open play, compared to just two for Ronaldo.
Even though it was far from a vintage tournament for Ronaldo and dethroned champions Portugal, the Juventus superstar still claimed the Golden Boot accolade thanks to having one assist more than fellow five-goal forward Schick.
Ronaldo's 72 minutes per goal was the best return of any player to have played at least three times in the tournament.
His haul also moved him level with Iran great Ali Daei as the all-time leading goalscorer in men's international football with 109, a record that he will get a chance to break later this year.
UEFA's Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy); Kyle Walker (England), Leonardo Bonucci (Italy), Harry Maguire (England), Leonardo Spinazzola (Italy); Jorginho (Italy), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Denmark), Pedri (Spain); Federico Chiesa (Italy), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Raheem Sterling (England).
Gianluigi Donnarumma revealed he was unaware Italy had beaten England when making the decisive save on Bukayo Saka's penalty in the Euro 2020 final.
The 22-year-old also kept out Jadon Sancho's attempt from the spot, while Marcus Rashford hit the post, as Italy prevailed 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time at Wembley.
Donnarumma's reaction to saving Saka's attempt was muted, with the goalkeeper calmly walking away before being mobbed by his team-mates.
But he has explained his response to helping Italy clinch their first European Championship crown since 1968 was due to him losing track of the score, rather than being in complete control of his emotions.
"I didn't realise we had won," he told Sky Sport Italia. "I looked at the referee and tried to understand if everything was okay.
"Then I turned to my team-mates and they ran towards me. From there everything started. I didn't understand anything."
Donnarumma was named UEFA's Player of the Tournament after his heroics against England, which followed a crucial penalty save in the semi-final shoot-out win against Spain.
The 719 minutes racked up by Donnarumma was the most by any player at Euro 2020; he missed only the closing stages of Italy's win against Wales in the group stage.
He is now expected to complete a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain following the expiration of his contract at Milan, where he had spent his entire career.
"I will always be tied to the Rossoneri," Donnarumma said when asked about his future. "For now, I'm just going to enjoy the party and then enjoy a vacation.
"I will always be a Milan fan and I wish them all the best in the world."
Donnarumma has now won all five of the shoot-outs he has been involved in with club and country in his career, three of those for Milan.
In his final season at San Siro, he kept 14 clean sheets in Serie A – a joint-high along with Inter's Samir Handanovic – to help Milan to their highest league finish since 2012.
Pete Alonso proved his own claim that he is the "best power hitter in the game" after being crowned back-to-back Home Run Derby champion at Denver's Coors Field on Monday.
Alonso, who was the winner in 2019 before last year's event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, defeated Baltimore Orioles' Trey Mancini 23-22 in the final.
The head-bopping New York Mets slugger, who batted second, finished the job with six home runs in a row in bonus time, winning with 35 seconds left.
Alonso was the dominant hitter throughout the derby as Los Angeles Angels' two-way top seed Shohei Ohtani, failed to fire, losing to Juan Soto 31-28 in the first round after being tied twice.
The 26-year-old Mets right-hander defeated Kansas City's Salvador Perez 35-28 in the first round, before knocking off Soto 16-15 with 50 seconds to go in the semi-finals.
"I've done this before and I'm extremely confident in my ability to hit the ball out of the yard," Alonso said. "I feel like I'm the best power hitter in the game. It was on display tonight."
Alonso continued his domination in the final against Mancini, who had a great run to the final having overcome stage three colon cancer only 12 months ago.
"Trey's story is unbelievable," Alonso said. "Everybody in the derby put on a show. I'm just happy he was able to participate and put on a show."
Florida-born Alonso would not commit to chasing a third Home Run Derby title despite admitting winning it "never gets old".
"I don’t know, we'll see," he said. "I'm going to enjoy this one for now. I'll have to think about it, but this event is so fun."
Roberto Mancini has overseen arguably one of the all-time great transformations in international football, not only turning Italy into a team that has a clear and fresh identity, but also a side that is successful.
When they lost 1-0 to Portugal on September 10, 2018 in the Nations League, who'd have thought that by the next time they suffered defeat they'd have won the European Championship? The fact that's the case despite Euro 2020 being delayed for 12 months is all the more impressive.
While the Azzurri required a penalty shoot-out against England in Sunday's final at Wembley, it's fair to say Italy were worthy victors in the end, with their hosts' caution only taking them so far.
In fact, England's pragmatism was arguably akin to the philosophy historically associated with Italy, but under Mancini they've truly embraced a tactical fluidity that has seemingly altered the perception many have of them.
Press smart, work smart
Intense off-the-ball work and a high press have almost become mainstream in modern football. While they aren't necessarily prevalent aspects of every team, not even every great team, many of the world's finest coaches try to implement them to a certain degree.
At Euro 2020, it's been a core strength of Italy – but it's not just a case of chasing down opponents like headless chickens. They've proven themselves to be smart.
The average amount of passes Italy allow their opponents to have in their own defensive third before initiating a defensive action is 13 (PPDA). Seven teams at the tournament pressed with greater intensity, but none were as effective as Italy.
Their 56 high turnovers were matched by Denmark but Italy boasted a tournament-high 13 that led to a shot, while three resulted in a goal – that too was bettered by no other team.
It suggests that, while other sides such as Spain (8.1 PPDA) pressed higher, Italy were better at picking their moments and knowing when to up the intensity.
Italy still managed to remain well balanced, too. Their average starting position of 42.9 metres from their own goal was deeper than six other teams, an important factor considering Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci aren't the quickest.
Yet they still pressed to greater effect that any of the others.
Establishing control
If there was one area of the pitch that you might point out as most crucial in Italy's Euro 2020 success (if we ignore Gianluigi Donnarumma's shoot-out saves), it would be their midfield.
Nicolo Barella, Marco Verratti and Jorginho were largely excellent as a trio, though the latter pair have attracted most of the acclaim.
In Verratti, Mancini seems to have a player who truly embodies their style of play – an excellent creator, he also does more than his fair share off the ball as one of the most complete central midfielders in the game today. He puts the fun in functional.
Verratti played the most key passes (14) of anyone at the tournament and ranked fourth for successful passes (87.1) and fifth for tackle attempts (4.0) per 90 minutes (at least 90 mins played).
The Paris Saint-Germain star also provided drive from the centre, with his 23 ball carries per 90 minutes bettered by just five midfielders, though only Pedri moved the ball between five and 10 metres upfield more often than Verratti (47), highlighting his progressive mentality.
Yet he didn't do it all on his own – after all, Verratti missed the first two games through injury. No, Jorginho had a similarly important function as the chief deep-lying playmaker, playing 484 successful passes, trailing only Aymeric Laporte.
On top of that, Jorginho showed his innate ability to sniff out danger and get Italy back on the move, with his 48 recoveries the second-highest among outfield players.
Given the presence of these two, it's no wonder Italy strung together the third-most sequences of 10 of more passes (123), yet at no point did you feel they got in each other's way, which again is testament to Mancini's setup.
Turning a weakness into a strength
The fact Italy were successful despite not having a particularly convincing striker highlighted the effectiveness of other areas of the team.
Ciro Immobile was Mancini's pick to lead the line. He wasn't necessarily bad, as his goal involvement output of four (two goals, two assists) was only trumped by Patrik Schick and Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, the Lazio man was by no means deadly in front of goal, hitting the target with just three of 18 shots. Among players with at least 10 attempts, just four were accurate with a smaller percentage than Immobile (16.7 per cent).
But so fluid were Italy that it didn't really matter. Immobile was one of five Italy players to net two goals, something no team has achieved at the Euros since France did in 2000.
At Italy's Coverciano coach training facility, there is said to have been a growing focus on the development of what are essentially formation-less tactics, and the fact Italy carried a threat from so many different positions suggests such a future actually isn't that far away.
Further to this, Italy showed real flexibility in attack. Sure, they scored 10 times inside the box, a figure third only to Spain and England, but the difference is the Azzurri also netted three from outside the area – no team managed more.
While you might expect that to reflect significantly in their expected goals (xG), Italy still pretty much scored exactly the number of goals one would ordinarily expect from the quality of their chances (13 goals, 13.2 xG), albeit one of those was an own goal.
Whether Italy have enough talent coming through to sustain this level and establish the first international 'dynasty' since the Spain side that won Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 is another debate.
But there's little doubt Mancini has the know-how to make them the team to beat if the production line doesn't dry up.
Alun Wyn Jones could yet feature for the British and Irish Lions in South Africa, having made a "remarkable" recovery from a dislocated shoulder.
The 35-year-old, who was set to captain Warren Gatland's touring party in South Africa, suffered the injury against Japan at the end of June but could still fly out on Tuesday, subject to medical confirmation.
The Lions face South Africa A, a side packed with 11 World Cup winners, on Wednesday and Gatland revealed in Monday's news conference that Jones could well return.
"A few weeks ago we didn't think there was an option," the Lions head coach said. "We're waiting for medical reports from him to see what happens with that.
"He's been back fully training with Wales – he's training this week with them. I think he's doing a double session with them tomorrow and we'll see what the outcome of that is."
Conor Murray, who is yet to start a game on tour for the Lions, came in to act as Jones' replacement in the captaincy role.
However, Gatland appreciates the invaluable role the Welshman could play if fit.
"He has made a remarkable recovery in terms of that injury, which wasn't as bad as they first thought," he added.
"It would be a boost to the squad having someone of his experience and calibre to come back into the squad."
Experience is exactly what Jones brings, as he represents the only member of the current touring squad to have faced the Springboks with the Lions previously, while also being the most-capped international of all time.
Having triumphed comfortably in the three pre-test matches against South African club sides the Lions and the Sharks, Gatland's team face South Africa A in what is being billed as an unofficial fourth test.
A subsequent fixture against DHL Stormers will follow before the three showpiece clashes with the Springboks get underway on the 24th July, by which time Gatland will be hoping Jones is fit.
Former Football Association (FA) chairman David Triesman believes the UK government must act to enforce tougher measures to prevent online racial abuse.
England players Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho were all targeted with racial abuse on social media following the Three Lions' penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday.
The FA and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson released statements condemning the abuse, while Gareth Southgate and England captain Harry Kane reiterated the stance of England's squad, who have taken the knee prior to kick-off in every game of Euro 2020.
A mural of Rashford in Manchester was also defaced, though well-wishers covered the graffiti with messages of support for the 23-year-old, whose efforts off the pitch have resulted in a government policy shift over the last year.
But Triesman, a member of the House of Lords who was the FA's chairman from 2008 to 2010, insists now is the time for stricter action.
"Well, it is a way in which people show their beliefs and their solidarity with their colleagues who come from different ethnic backgrounds and that's not a bad thing," Triesman told Stats Perform when asked for his views on England taking the knee.
"The fact that people do something that's visible together, I don't think is a bad thing. But I think what we must get past is politicians saying that they don't like it or saying that it's outrageous, and saying it [racism] cannot be tolerated, and then doing nothing about it, which is tantamount to tolerating it.
"And that's why I think it has to be translated into action. I really, I think it's true in many things in life, it's certainly true in politics, but it's true in football as well. It's not so much what you say, it's what you do. It's when people see what you do, and they can see what you say and what you're doing are the same thing.
"The change will only come if the football authorities and political authorities come together and say they are going to make changes and spell out what those changes are.
"I think that part of this has to be a legislative change in which the people who run the media platforms so often just describe themselves as the postman, they don't know what's under the envelope. I don't buy that at all. That's a recipe for seeing children abused online. It's a recipe for bullying.
"We've seen all of these things. It's not like they're a mystery to us anymore and I think the media platforms have got to be held to account, even if it means that a very rich source of the material that goes on to them is simply cut off. There's a point at which people have to face their responsibilities."
Triesman added that the onus is also on the FA to take tougher action, as well as lobbying the government.
"If we catch them in grounds being racist and abusive, that should be the last day they get into a ground to see football," he continued.
"Stamp it out. Football can do a lot of this itself. But if it needs extra powers – if I was still at the FA I would be knocking on the door of government today saying, 'Here are the powers I've got, I'm going to use them. If I think they're deficient, I want more powers, because I'm absolutely determined'."
Lando Norris had his watch taken in an "incident" at the Euro 2020 final on Sunday, Formula One team McLaren have confirmed.
Norris was in attendance at Wembley as England lost on penalties to Italy in the European Championship decider.
There were scenes of unrest throughout the day at England's national stadium as individuals without tickets attempted to gain access to the long-awaited final.
Indeed, pictures in London showed supporters clashing inside and outside Wembley.
And McLaren announced on Monday their star driver was left "understandably shaken" following an incident which has been reported to the police.
The team said: "McLaren Racing can confirm that Lando Norris was involved in an incident, after the Euro 2020 final match at Wembley, during which the watch he was wearing was taken.
"Thankfully, Lando was unharmed but he is understandably shaken. The team is supporting Lando and we are sure that racing fans will join us in wishing him all the best for the British Grand Prix this weekend.
"As this is now a police matter we cannot comment further."
Heading into his home British Grand Prix, Norris is an impressive fourth in the F1 drivers' championship having earned a third podium of the season last time out in Austria.
Norris has collected points at 14 consecutive races, the best run of his F1 career and the longest ongoing streak in the series.
Fernando Alonso, in 2007, was the last McLaren driver to enjoy such a stretch.
Shohei Ohtani's remarkable 2021 season is set to continue after he was named as the starting pitcher for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game, having already been confirmed as the starting designated hitter.
Japanese sensation Ohtani has gone from strength to strength in his first year, pitching and batting in the same game for the Los Angeles Angels.
The two-way superstar has 33 home runs, 12 stolen bases and 87 pitching strikeouts already this term. Only Babe Ruth had previously passed 25 homers, 10 stolen bases and 75 strikeouts in an entire AL career.
Ohtani is five clear atop the homer standings in the major leagues, making him an obvious choice as the AL's starting DH.
But the 27-year-old made history as the only player to make the All-Star Game as both a hitter and a pitcher, and it was confirmed on Monday he will start from the mound in Tuesday's showpiece.
"This is what the fans want to see," said Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, in charge of the AL team. "It's personally what I want to see."
Ohtani could first bolster his reputation further, however, as he prepares to take part in Monday's Home Run Derby, where the Angels ace is the favourite.
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