Roberto Mancini has been named manager of Italy for a second time, following the departure of Gennaro Gattuso and a period of uncertainty surrounding the role. The announcement comes after Andrea Pirlo withdrew his candidacy and technical director Paolo Maldini resigned.
Giovanni Malago, president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), stated that he believed Mancini was the best choice to become head coach. Claudio Ranieri, known for leading Leicester City to the Premier League title in 2015-16, will take over from Maldini as technical director. Maldini had been in the technical director role for two weeks before his resignation, which also saw adviser Leonardo step down, both following the decision not to appoint Pirlo.
The managerial change follows Italy‘s failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. Gattuso‘s contract as Italy boss was terminated by mutual consent in April after the team missed out on this summer’s tournament, which also prompted the resignation of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. Prior to Pirlo‘s consideration, the FIGC had approached both Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti regarding the Italy job.
Mancini’s previous tenure and career
Mancini, 61, previously managed Italy from 2018 until 2023. During his first spell, he led the Azzurri to victory in Euro 2020, where they defeated England in the final at Wembley. Under his leadership, Italy achieved a world record 37-game unbeaten run. However, the team failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after losing to North Macedonia in a play-off match. Mancini resigned from his previous role with Italy in August 2023.
After his departure from the Azzurri, Mancini had a brief period with the Saudi Arabia national team before joining Qatari side Al Sadd. While at Al Sadd, the team won the Qatar Stars League. However, they did not reach the final four of the AFC Champions League Elite and were defeated in the Qatar Cup final. Mancini left his position with Al Sadd in June.
Before his first stint with the national team, Mancini had a successful club management career. The former Italy and Sampdoria midfielder led Manchester City to their first Premier League title in 2012. He also achieved success with Lazio and Inter Milan, winning the Coppa Italia with both clubs and securing three Serie A titles with Inter. His career also included managing Galatasaray and Zenit St Petersburg before he first took on the Italy job in 2018.
Challenges and upcoming fixtures
The Italian national team has faced significant challenges, having not participated in a World Cup finals since 2014, despite their successes in other major tournaments. The recent failure to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time has led to a period of instability for the team. Following Gattuso‘s departure, Under-21 manager Silvio Baldini had temporarily taken charge of the national squad.
Pirlo had initially appeared to be a strong candidate for the managerial position but withdrew his name from consideration due to controversy surrounding his connections to a Russian betting company. This development further complicated the search for a new national team coach before Mancini‘s appointment.
Mancini‘s return is seen as an effort to revitalize the team during a critical period. He will be tasked with guiding Italy through their upcoming fixtures. The team is scheduled to begin their Nations League campaign on September 25, with a home match against Belgium. Three days later, Italy will travel to face Turkey.
Source: bbc.com
