Search for Spalletti successors
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This article was released on June 10, 2025 at 12:42 p.m. and was updated with information about Gattuso and other candidates.
Italy has to search for a new national coach one year before the World Cup. Desired candidate Claudio Ranieri gave the National Football Association a cancellation after just a few days. The 73 -year -old outgoing coach of AS Rome described the offer to take over the crushing Squadra Azzurra as a “great honor”. After some thinking, however, he decided differently. Stefano Pioli was considered the second hot candidate. However, because the former master coach of AC Milan is also about a move to Florence, a world champion from 2006 is now a favorite for the successor to the released Luciano Spalletti: Gennaro Gattuso
The long-time Milan professional Gattuso, who won the World Cup title with the Italians in Germany in 2006 and won the national cup with the SSC Naples in 2020, had further stations at AC Milan, FC Valencia, Olympique Marseille and Hajduk Split. But what he stayed there without greater success.
Italy is currently fearing that after two missed world championships in a row at the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico. In the last game under Luciano Spalletti, the Squadra Azzurra was enough for a 2-0 (1-0) on Monday evening in qualifying against Moldau. The group victory still appears very difficult after the defeat against Norway (0: 3). The Northern Europeans around Erling Haaland achieved the perfect yield of twelve points in the first four games. Only the group winner has his World Cup ticket, the second has to go to the playoffs.
After the bankruptcy against the Norwegians, Spalletti had accepted his release at the weekend and cleared his post after the victory against Moldau. Ranieri was considered the top candidate. Born in Romans, he jumped in at his old club at short notice last season, even though he was already retired. In the future he will work as a consultant for the capital club. Now he thanked the association for the offer. “But I thought about it and decided to fully available the Roma in my new role.”
Since Ranieri and Pioli are not available and other prominent Italian trainers such as Carlo Ancelotti (National Coach of Brazil), Antonio Conte (SSC Naples) or Massimiliano Allegri (AC Milan) are contractually bound, association president Gabriele Gravina focuses on the 2006 World Cup heroes. (most recently Dinamo Zagreb) and Daniele de Rossi (most recently as Rome) to the candidate group.
Italy only difficult to win against Moldova
In the home game against the world ranking 154. Moldova was clearly superior to Italy in Reggio Emilia, but was extremely susceptible to the counter. Ion Nicolaescu even headed into the Italian goal in one of the attacks, but was just offside. Giacomo Raspadori redeemed the Squadra Azzurra shortly before the break. Immediately after the change of sides, Andrea Cambiaso decided the match with the 2-0.
I am not surprised by Ranieri’s cancellation and is also completely understandable. But now I really don’t see anyone that I trust to be successful with the Squadra. I would have seen a match with Pioli, but that doesn’t seem to work either. Farioli would still be free, but it is probably still considered too inexperienced, and frankly, I can’t really assess him yet.
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