Italian football is a soap opera that never actually ends. Just when you think the national team has hit rock bottom, a whole new layer of chaos gets unlocked.
Roberto Mancini is back as the head coach of the Azzurri. Yes, the exact same Mancini who walked away abruptly in August 2023 to manage Saudi Arabia. If you feel like you've stepped into a bizarre time loop, you aren't alone. Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Giovanni Malagò turned back to the man who won Euro 2020 because the alternative options completely imploded. Read more on a related issue: this related article.
Let's look at how we got here. Gennaro Gattuso left his post in April after Italy failed to qualify for yet another World Cup. Missing three consecutive World Cups is an absolute national crisis for a four-time champion. The Azzurri haven't tasted tournament football on the global stage since Brazil in 2014.
The Chaos Behind the Scenes
The search for Gattuso's replacement was messy. Pep Guardiola turned down overtures. Then, Andrea Pirlo emerged as the leading candidate to take the hotseat. An agreement seemed close until the FIGC pulled the plug at the eleventh hour. Pirlo's ties to a Russian betting firm became too radioactive for the federation to ignore. Additional analysis by Bleacher Report explores similar perspectives on this issue.
That veto sparked an immediate internal explosion. Paolo Maldini had just taken over as technical director, alongside adviser Leonardo. They wanted Pirlo. When the federation blocked it, Maldini and Leonardo walked out after just sixteen days on the job.
Enter Claudio Ranieri. The veteran mastermind behind Leicester City's miracle stepped up to become the new technical director, while Mancini agreed to take the dugout back over.
Why Mancini Can Fix This Mess
Mancini knows the pressure cooker. During his first stint from 2018 to 2023, he took a broken team that missed the 2018 World Cup and forged a European champion. He engineered a world-record 37-match unbeaten streak and beat England on penalties at Wembley to lift Euro 2020.
Of course, his first tenure also featured the unforgettable disaster of losing to North Macedonia in the play-offs, missing the Qatar World Cup. Then came his sudden departure for the Middle East, a stint in Saudi Arabia that didn't hit expectations, and a brief spell at Qatari side Al Sadd that ended in June.
Critics argue he abandoned ship when things got tough. Supporters point out he remains the only Italian manager in recent history who actually figured out how to win a major trophy with this pool of players.
The FIGC didn't hire Mancini because he's a safe, cuddly option. They hired him because he has an ego big enough to handle the Italian media and a tactical brain that has already proven it works on the international stage.
What Happens Next on the Pitch
The honeymoon phase will last about five minutes. The UEFA Nations League is right around the corner, with a clash against Belgium on September 25 followed by a trip to Turkey.
Mancini doesn't have time to experiment. He needs to inject confidence back into a squad that looks paralyzed by the ghost of past failures. With Ranieri pulling strings upstairs as technical director, the federation finally has two football lifers steering the ship who command instant respect from the players.
If this second act fails, the damage to Italian football might take a generation to repair. But if Mancini catches lightning in a bottle twice, nobody will care how messy the reunion was.
