There is a scent of unfinished business drifting through Coverciano. GoalZaza has learned that Roberto Mancini is edging ever closer to a stunning ret...
There is a scent of unfinished business drifting through Coverciano. GoalZaza has learned that Roberto Mancini is edging ever closer to a stunning return as Italy head coach, following a series of constructive meetings with FIGC officials in the last 48 hours. The man who led the Azzurri to European glory at Wembley in 2021 now looks set to walk back through the doors of the national team headquarters, less than two years after his abrupt resignation in the wake of a failed World Cup qualification campaign.For those who have followed the labyrinthine politics of Italian football, this development carries a certain poetic irony. When Mancini walked away in August 2023, the prevailing narrative was one of disillusionment and fractured relationships. Luciano Spalletti stepped into the breach, only to see his stock fall after a meek exit from Euro 2024. Now, with the World Cup looming on the horizon, the federation appears to be reaching for the familiar. It is a move that smells of pragmatism, of cold logic. Who better to navigate a path through the treacherous waters of qualification than the man who turned a side that failed to reach Russia 2018 into the most aesthetically pleasing and tactically flexible team on the continentThe details emerging from GoalZaza's sources suggest that personal terms are not the primary sticking point. Mancini, currently without a club after his spell in Saudi Arabia, is believed to be hungry for a project that stirs the soul. And let's be honest, what project stirs the soul more than restoring the pride of the Azzurri The footballing public has a short memory, but the emotional connection between Mancini and the tifosi was genuine. He did not just win; he did it with flair, with a high press, and with a fluidity that made Italy a joy to watch in transition. The question now is whether that magic can be rekindled, or whether this is simply a comforting embrace of the past.Make no mistake, this is a high stakes gamble. If Mancini returns, he inherits a squad that has lost some of its defensive solidity and lacks a truly clinical finisher. The low block that served the Euros winners so well has been occasionally prised open, and the midfield engine room looks a little less authoritative. But Mancini is no fool. He knows the calibre of player coming through. He knows the tactical DNA of this nation. The question posed to the FIGC was simple: do you trust the same man to right the ship It appears the answer is a resounding yes. Squeaky bum time is over; this is now about the serious business of building a winning machine. And the man holding the spanner might just be the same one who built it in the first place.
