CT Italia: Pep Guardiola Is Getting Closer and Closer—They’re Certain of It Across the Channel

Speculation that Pep Guardiola might take the helm of the Italian national team following Maldini and Leonardo’s “blitz” visit to Barcelona is growing ever stronger. In England, moreover, they’re certain of it: according to the British media, the Catalan coach won’t pass up the opportunity to lead the revival of a major national team like Italy’s, even if the contract offers relatively lower pay than the one he had with Manchester City.

This shift in direction compared to the initial rumors from a few days ago appears significant. Initially, Guardiola seemed clearly inclined to say no, intending to take a break after his long decade-long stint in Manchester. The former Barcelona coach had already turned down several offers, all of which were far more lucrative than the one from Rome.

The meeting in Barcelona between national team technical director Paolo Maldini, advisor Leonardo, and the Catalan coach—reported by Sky Sport on Monday—turned out to be a concrete move by a federation determined to explore ambitious solutions. As Federation President Giovanni Malagò had stated, the shortlist for the Azzurri coaching position was not, in fact, limited to the names already circulating—Antonio Conte, Roberto Mancini, and Andrea Pirlo.

Guardiola’s candidacy would represent a paradigm shift in Italian soccer, an attempt to make a clean break from a recent past marked by very few highlights and many disappointments. Given his philosophy and prestige, the Catalan would embody the turning point that many are calling for to revitalize a national team tasked with regaining its international competitiveness.

However, the race remains wide open on multiple fronts. Pirlo, who last week had gained ground as the favorite candidate of Maldini—with whom he spent eight seasons at Milan—remains in the running alongside Mancini and Conte, even though the latter, speaking on DAZN, had clarified that he had not yet been contacted regarding a possible return to the national team following his stint that ended at Euro 2016.

The final decision is expected in the coming days, given that the national team is set to begin its Nations League campaign on September 25, when it will face Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in a group that also includes France and Turkey. This schedule leaves little time to finalize the new coaching staff for the Azzurri.