New team manager?
Italy’s pursuit of Guardiola is heating up!
The heads of Italy’s soccer federation are apparently making an all-out effort to bring Pep Guardiola on board as the new national team coach!
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen According to Sky Sport Italia, the successful coach was visited by Paolo Maldini in Barcelona over the weekend. The former pro, who most recently served as technical director for the Azzurri, reportedly spent nearly three days negotiating a potential partnership with Guardiola alongside federation advisor Leonardo, the network reported.
There is no indication yet as to whether the 55-year-old is willing to take the job just a few weeks after the end of his tenure at Manchester City. After Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time, national team coach Gennaro Gattuso, team manager Gianluigi Buffon, and federation president Gabriele Gravina were forced to step down. The new president of the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, Giovanni Malago, recently persuaded former star player Maldini to take on the role of technical director. His most important task is to find a new national team coach.
Mancini and Pirlo Are the Current Favorites
Most recently, Roberto Mancini and Andrea Pirlo appeared to be emerging as the favorites for the position. Mancini previously served as coach of the Squadra Azzurra from 2018 to 2023 and led the team to the European Championship title in 2021. Pirlo was still on the field himself during Italy’s most recent World Cup triumph in Germany in 2006 and, as a playmaker, was one of the key contributors to that success. As a coach, however, he has been largely disappointing, particularly at Juventus Turin and Sampdoria Genoa.
Guardiola, on the other hand, would be a major coup for the Squadra Azzurra; the Catalan is one of the most prominent and successful club coaches of our time. He has won the Champions League three times—with FC Barcelona (2009, 2011) and Manchester City (2023)—and has also won a total of twelve domestic league titles with those two clubs as well as FC Bayern.
Federation President Drops a Hint
Federation head Malago did not comment on Guardiola during his appearance on Sky Sport Italia. However, he noted that it’s quite possible that his list of candidates for the future head coach includes more than just Pirlo and Mancini.
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