Manchini back as Italy’s boss

The drama is over. After 16 days in charge, Italy’s technical director Paolo Maldini and his advisor Leonardo left their position when the first obstacle arrived – appointment of the new coach. Andrea Pirlo was the odd choice and when that wasn’t approved the duo left. Now, Italian football federation’s president turned to more ‘experienced duo’. A trio of Giovanni Malago, Roberto Mancini and Claudio Ranieri (technical director) with their combined 202 years of age was trusted to lead the Italian national football in the next four years.Roberto Mancini è il nuovo Commissario Tecnico della Nazionale 🇮🇹💙#Nazionale #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/PioBpZX6TS— Nazionale Italiana ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri) July 28, 2026 Even though all Serie A presidents (apart from Lazio’s Lotito) were for Antonio Conte, Malago decided to appoint Mancini, who won the EURO 2020 with Italy, but also left the position in odd circumstances. His abrupt resignation as Italy coach in 2023 to take charge of Saudi Arabia reportedly damaged his standing with many senior officials at the Italian federation, particularly as the Azzurri were struggling in their qualifying campaign for Euro 2024.And he is well aware of that."I hope to win another trophy, maybe two. My goal is to make sure the team immediately gets back to winning ways. What happened three years ago was a lack of communication between President Gabriele Gravina and myself, because if we had talked face to face, it would’ve gone differently. The Nazionale is very important, and it’s like losing the love of your life. It means you made mistakes. It doesn’t matter how well you did before, you evidently did something wrong. I am sorry for everything that happened over the last three years, but fate and Malago have given me the chance to try again. I will try to bring the Nazionale back to where it belongs” said Mancini.Maldini gone after 16 days!New/Old coach’s first game in charge is a Nations League match against Belgium in Rome on September 25, before facing Turkey three days later. Then comes a trip to Paris when Italy take on France, with Zinedine Zidane at the helm.“I believe there are young, talented players in Italy. I simply believe we need to trust them and let them play. These will be important matches. We'll immediately see our strengths and the areas in which we'll need to improve" explained the former Manchester City manager.##NAJAVA_MECA_9868155##