Roberto Mancini has been announced as the new Italy coach
He enjoyed EURO success with Azzurri in 2021
Ambitious Italian bidding to banish memories of recent setbacks and 2023 exit
Roberto Mancini is back in charge of Italy. After his first spell as coach between 2018 and 2023, the Italian will now attempt to guide the Azzurri back to football’s elite, building on the foundations laid during his previous tenure and working with a squad that blends seasoned campaigners with an exciting crop of young talent.
The task facing Mancini is far from straightforward. The failure to qualify for the last three editions of the FIFA World Cup™ continues to weigh heavily on the Italian game, leaving the returning coach with a major challenge that he has embraced head-on.
“I’ll try to put together a side capable of emulating the national team from a few years ago,” Mancini said during his unveiling.
The former Bologna, Sampdoria, Lazio and Leicester forward’s previous Italy squad reached the pinnacle of European football by tasting UEFA EURO glory in 2021. Driven by a united dressing room, that crop of players won admirers, not only for their results but also for the quality of football that they served up and their strong team spirit.
Now the Azzurri will seek to return to the standards set during Mancini’s first spell at the helm, which ended when the coach resigned and subsequently took the reins of the Saudi Arabian national team.
“The objective is to play good football so that the fans fall in love with this group and forgive me,” said the 61-year-old. “I spent five wonderful years here first time around. Now we’ve signed a four-year contract. I hope we can win a trophy, maybe even two, and that I’ll be able to stay even longer.
“I think there are some very good young players in Italy. We have to trust them and let them show what they’re made of. Hopefully more Italians will get opportunities. If our players move abroad and play in top competitions like the Premier League, that’s a positive thing.”
Mancini also reflected on his decision to leave three years ago, which he put down to a lack of communication between himself and the then Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Gabriele Gravina.
“If we’d sat down and spoken face to face, it probably would’ve turned out differently,” he said. "That’s how it played out and I’m deeply sorry because Italy has always meant so much to me. It’s a bit like the love of your life: if you lose her, you’ve done something wrong."
After thanking current FIGC chief Giovanni Malago for giving him the chance to make amends, he vowed: "I’ll try to get the national team back to its rightful place."
One man who seems to have welcomed the experienced strategist back with open arms is goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has captained the country in recent years.
Malago revealed: "I got a message from Gigio saying ‘Perfect choice. This is exactly what the team and I wanted,’”
Looking ahead, the ultimate mission is to restore the four-time world champions to the top tier of the global game, with Mancini sounding a bullish note about that prospect:
"Whenever Italy qualify for the World Cup, they become dangerous," he said.
However, far from getting ahead of himself, Mancini will be taking things one step at a time and outlined his immediate priorities as he targets more success with the Azzurri.
“Our first objective is to build a new team as quickly as possible. We want to perform well in the Nations League, qualify for the EURO and then focus on the World Cup.”
Sources: FIFA Official
