Italy coach search turns to Guardiola and Ancelotti
Paolo Maldini says FIGC has spoken to Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti as Italy tries to rebound from another World Cup miss.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The Italy coach search has reached two of the biggest names in football management, with Paolo Maldini saying the Italian Football Federation has spoken to Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti about the job. The federation is trying to steady the national team after Italy failed to reach the World Cup for the third consecutive tournament, according to The Associated Press.
Maldini, the former Italy and AC Milan defender, was appointed FIGC technical director at the start of July. He appeared Thursday at a meeting with Serie A clubs alongside new FIGC president Giovanni Malago and special adviser Leonardo.
Asked about Guardiola afterward, Maldini said the federation could not disclose full details but acknowledged the former Manchester City manager was among its targets. He also said FIGC spoke with Ancelotti before Guardiola, saying it was proper to begin with the best coaches in the world and check whether they were open to the role.
Who will be Italy coach?
FIGC hopes to announce a new coach within a week, according to AP. Maldini said the federation would prefer to make an appointment quickly, but he added that waiting for the preferred candidate mattered more than rushing the decision.
Guardiola is available after leaving Manchester City at the end of last season. His 10-year run at the club brought major domestic and European success, and AP described him as having helped turn City into a European power while reshaping English football.
The 55-year-old has won 35 major trophies as a coach across spells with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, according to AP. Maldini and Leonardo recently spent three days in Barcelona to discuss the Italy position with Guardiola.
Ancelotti is currently in charge of Brazil and signed an extension in May running through the 2030 World Cup, AP reported. Brazil, a five-time World Cup winner, exited the latest tournament in the round of 16 after a 2-1 defeat to Norway.
The 67-year-old Ancelotti has won domestic league titles in Italy, England, France, Spain and Germany. He is also the only coach to have won the Champions League five times, according to AP.
Why is Italy changing coaches?
Italy’s latest failure came after a playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in March, which kept the four-time world champion out of a third straight World Cup. The result led to the resignations of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and coach Gennaro Gattuso, AP reported.
Gattuso had replaced Luciano Spalletti the previous June after Spalletti was fired. At that point, Italy were already struggling in qualifying after losing away to Norway in their opening match.
Other names have also been linked with the position. AP reported that former Italy coaches Roberto Mancini, who led the national team to the European Championship title in 2021, and Antonio Conte are among the favorites, while Andrea Pirlo is also reportedly under consideration.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.