Guardiola, Pirlo, and chaos: What is happening to the Italian national team?

[p]The situation surrounding the Italian national team is surreal, bordering on the absurd. A tangle of events that feels more like a Salvador Dali painting than normal sports planning. Yet, it’s all real.[/p][p]The arrival of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maldini-paolo/YoxUzuYk/"]Maldini[/a] and Leonardo seemed to mark the right turning point. Two highly experienced executives, used to working at the highest level and with a clear footballing identity. Their mission was clear: to relaunch the national team starting with the choice of the new head coach.[/p][embed guid="6966ddda-05a3-494a-8c2b-1b6734a1d1c5" url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbRW9bruM48/" social-type="instagram" /][p]The first move was extremely ambitious. The target was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/guardiola-pep/hxNijWrJ/"]Pep Guardiola[/a], probably the best coach in the world. It was a major attempt, but destined to clash with the Catalan manager’s desire to take a sabbatical year to focus on his family and regain personal balance after his years in Manchester.[/p][p]A painful rejection, but ultimately a predictable one.[/p][h2]An embarrassment[/h2][p]What no one could have imagined, however, was the failure of plan B. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pirlo-andrea/2kfSDavF/"]Andrea Pirlo[/a] had made himself available to lead the Azzurri and the negotiations seemed well underway. Then, suddenly, everything came to a halt.[/p][p]The deal collapsed due to controversy over his collaboration with a Russian betting company. And so, after thinking a rather straightforward deal was done, the result was yet another setback. A very painful one.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/pirlo-out-of-italy-coach-race-after-scrutiny-betting-company-links-in-russia/dz8lmEbc/"]Read more on that story now.[/a][/b][/p][p]And this is probably the hardest part. Not so much because of Pirlo’s name, but because of the way the agreement fell through. A deal that was practically finalised fell apart over a detail that should have been considered long before any optimism was allowed to leak out.[/p][h2]A step back[/h2][p]A double misstep that inevitably weakens the position of Maldini and Leonardo. Also because [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a] has already been through difficult years, marked by the nightmare of missing three consecutive World Cups. A show of strength was needed to convey the idea of a Federation finally organised. [/p][p]So far, the exact opposite has happened.[/p][p]At this point, it’s necessary to understand what the next move will be. If the president of the FIGC, [b]Giovanni Malago[/b], decides to hand the bench to one of the big names still available, like [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/conte-antonio/23vSAc12/"]Antonio Conte[/a] or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mancini-roberto/phNfFF8I/"]Roberto Mancini[/a], it would be hard to imagine Maldini and Leonardo still at the centre of the project.[/p][p]It’s difficult to think that coaches of this calibre would accept being the third choice after Guardiola and Pirlo.[/p][image alt="Is Conte back in the running?" id="54cdc220-ed9f-4477-804f-bf57f14af989" credit-line="FRANCESCO PECORARO / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP" guid="ddcb01af-f5c9-464e-b3f2-6a7f60b74b22" original-width="4576" original-height="3051" /][p]If that’s the case, [b]it wouldn’t be surprising to see the two executives step aside[/b], effectively opening the door to a new technical revolution within just a few weeks.[/p][h2]The Baldini option[/h2][p]The only real card they seem to have left is Silvio Baldini. A different solution, focusing on knowledge of Italian football and young players, also gained through his work with the under-21s.[/p][p]The idea would be to replicate, at least in intention, models like Scaloni with Argentina or De la Fuente with Spain, though with all the necessary differences.[/p][p]There’s another aspect not to be underestimated. Baldini would be a less binding solution in the medium term. If in a year’s time Guardiola really does open up to the idea of coaching a national team, it would be much easier to revisit the project - especially if it hasn’t yet taken off - than it would be with a high-profile coach like Conte or Mancini.[/p][p]Whatever the final choice, one thing is certain: after two failed attempts, the Federation can no longer afford any more mistakes. The next step must be the definitive one and, above all, the right one.[/p][p]Because the Italian national team and its fans finally deserve a fresh start worthy of their history.[/p]