England boss Fabio Capello admits that he's been left impressed by Udinese and the Italian national side.
The Bianconeri are currently top of Serie A after finishing fourth last term, while the Azzurri were one of the first nations to qualify for Euro 2012.
"Udinese are now to be considered as a great reality of the Italian game," Capello told Radio RAI on Monday morning.
"I saw them play against Arsenal in the Champions League preliminary round and they are now a worthy European outfit.
"Had they not sold their three prized assets in the summer – Alexis Sanchez [Barcelona], Gokhan Inler [Napoli] and Cristian Zapata [Villarreal] – then they could have won the Scudetto this season…
"Italy? I hope that they, and England, can go far," added the former Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid boss.
"I see good things from them under Cesare Prandelli. The impression I get is that who gets called up to the squad responds to the national side with desire and happiness. That was missing for a while."
One man who could be a part of the Azzurri side at Euro 2012 is Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.
"I think he's changed a lot in recent months," Capello continued. "He's accepting decisions from the referee and he's not questioning his substitutions.
"I think a lot of credit has to go to boss Roberto Mancini, he's worked well with a boy who has enormous potential."
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