After missing out on their third consecutive World Cup, Italy began a deep reconstruction, and one of the main objectives is to define the coach who will lead the new cycle. Paolo Maldini, recently appointed general director of national teams for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), confirmed that the federation has already started talks with two of the most prestigious coaches in the world: Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti.
During a press conference at the Serie A headquarters, the former Milan defender acknowledged that the search is aimed at the most important names in the market. "We can't provide news about Guardiola, but he is one of our targets". He also revealed that there have been contacts with the current coach of Brazil: "We also spoke with Carlo Ancelotti. We thought it was fair to start with the best in the world, but we need to verify their overall availability".
The Catalan coach appears to be the main desire of the FIGC. According to reports, Maldini and his advisor Leonardo recently traveled to Barcelona to meet with Guardiola and gauge his willingness for a potential proposal.
After his departure from City, Guardiola is enjoying a sabbatical year
However, the meeting may not have resulted in any concrete progress in the negotiations. Following his departure from Manchester City, the coach is enjoying a sabbatical year and, for now, is not in a hurry to return to activity.
On the other hand, the possibility of bringing in Ancelotti does not seem straightforward either. The Italian coach is leading a long-term project with the Brazil National Team and has a contract in effect until 2030, so any early departure looks, at least for now, difficult to achieve.
Ancelotti has a contract with Brazil until 2030
Beyond these situations, Maldini explained that the intention is to resolve the choice as soon as possible, although he made it clear that the priority is to find the ideal candidate. "The ideal would be to appoint the coach this week, but it is even more important to wait for the person we really want. There is urgency, but not so much in the end".
The former footballer also referred to the challenge he has taken on at the helm of the Azzurra's sports project: "I feel a great responsibility and pressure, there is an ambitious project here. It is a call to arms, and when Italy calls, it is hard to say no. I was not aware of the initial difficulties, but I felt the possibility of doing things and the willingness of everyone to participate in the renewal".
The other candidates
Given the difficulties presented by their main targets, the Italian Federation is also evaluating other alternatives. Roberto Mancini, Euro 2020 champion with the Azzurra, appears as the best-positioned candidate, while Andrea Pirlo and Antonio Conte complete the list of possible replacements.
Mancini, Pirlo, and Conte are other possibilities being considered by the FIGC
Whoever ultimately takes over will have the mission of returning Italy to a World Cup. The four-time world champion has not participated in the tournament since Brazil 2014, where they were eliminated in the group stage, and subsequently also failed to qualify via European playoffs for Russia 2018 (eliminated by Sweden), Qatar 2022 (eliminated by North Macedonia), and the 2026 World Cup (eliminated by Bosnia and Herzegovina).
