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Roberto Mancini has been appointed Italy manager for a second time, a day after Andrea Pirlo ruled himself out of the running and FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini resigned.
Mancini returns amidst a chaotic period for the Italian football association. Gennaro Gattuso left the role in April after the Azzurri failed to qualify for a third successive World Cup. Fellow midfield icon Pirlo looked set to enter the dugout, yet pulled out following controversial ties to a Russian betting company. Now, Mancini re-enters the fray, alongside Claudio Ranieri as technical director.
President of the FIGC, Giovanni Malago, began today’s unveiling press conference by speaking about World Cup responsibilities: “The spotlight today must be entirely on Roberto Mancini and Claudio Ranieri. I’m very happy, and I think they are too. We all feel the weight of this responsibility, also due to the three World Cups we failed to qualify for. It’s been 20 years since we played a knockout match at the World Cup.”
Following that opening statement, Mancini wasted little time in reasserting his international intentions with an almost romantic twist.
“I’ll tell you something about what happened three years ago. Back then, I felt a lack of communication between myself and President Gravina.” He continued: “The national team shirt is everything to me, like the woman in your life that you lose.”
Mancini then reiterated his regret at leaving Italy and his gratitude for the opportunity to return to the Azzurri bench. Following his first stint, the Sampdoria stalwart coached Saudi Arabia and Al-Sadd in Qatar.
“Something was done that shouldn’t have been done. I’m sorry, but now, thanks to this fate and thanks to President Malago, I have the chance to make amends. I will do my best for the national team and try to bring it back to where it deserves to be.”
The latter comment should hark back to the stability of yesteryear. Especially considering Euro 2020’s victory over England and the Azzurri’s world record 37-game unbeaten run under Mancini’s guidance. While the World Cup qualification failure at the hands of North Macedonia still lurks, Mancini is determined to tap back into the national pride seen at Wembley.
“I’m trying to field a team that was able to do what we all saw at the European Championships. The players are there, even the young ones, and we need to give them confidence. We’ll be a proactive team, and we’ll try to do well. That’s our goal.”
