Giovanni Malagò, the freshly installed President of the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, has made one thing abundantly clear as he takes the reins...
Giovanni Malagò, the freshly installed President of the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, has made one thing abundantly clear as he takes the reins: he has not spoken to Roberto Mancini. Not a single call, not a quiet word in a corridor, nothing. That revelation, delivered with typical candor, tells us more about Italy's current state of flux than any lengthy press release ever could.It is a fascinating silence. Mancini, the man who guided the Azzurri to Euro 2020 glory with a brand of progressive, high tempo football, remains the elephant in the room. Yet Malagò's insistence on distance suggests a desire for a clean break, a reset button. Forget the siren calls of nostalgia. The new FIGC chief seems to be saying that the next occupant of that dugout must not merely inherit a job; they must embrace the entire, suffocating weight of the role. This isn't about picking a name from a list. It is about finding a soul.The question, then, is what does that embrace look like in practice It means understanding that managing Italy is not a tactical exercise in isolating a low block or perfecting transitional play. It is a political, emotional, and cultural burden. The new man must walk into the Coverciano training ground and feel the history pressing down on him. He must charm the media, navigate the club versus country squabbles, and somehow rebuild a squad that, since that Wembley high, has looked frighteningly ordinary. Clinical finishing The current crop lacks it. Tactical flexibility It has been painfully absent in recent qualifiers.Malagò is effectively telling us that the days of coasting on reputation are over. He wants a manager who will live and breathe the job, not one who treats it as a part time gig. And Mancini, for all his genius, perhaps drifted into a space where the role became more about personal projects than national reclamation. The new appointment, whoever it is, must bridge that gap. They must be a leader, not just a coach.So while the phone hasn't rung for Mancini, the message from Rome is loud and clear. The next man to wear the Azzurri blazer had better be ready for the fight. This is not a job for the faint hearted. This is a call to arms, and Malagò is waiting for someone bold enough to answer it.
