Guardiola ct of'Italy: Jose Mourinho intervenes in tense leg
Italian soccer is in full crisis and the Azzurri missed the World Cup for the third consecutive edition. From many quarters there is a push for revolutionary solutions, and there are those who, like Leonardo Bonucci, have proposed Pep Guardiola as the new technical commissioner of the Italian national team. José Mourinho also spoke on the subject on the sidelines of the presentation of the Prima Assicurazione commercial in Milan.
“Italian soccer crisis? It’s sad. When you didn’t qualify I was with Rui Costa and we didn’t want to believe it: ‘How is it possible that our Italy didn’t make it?’ we were wondering. But it’s real, it happened,” are the words of the Special One to the microphones of Sportmediaset.
Mourinho said he was against Guardiola as coach of the Azzurri: “I don’t agree: I don’t think we need a foreign coach. Italy has coaches with the charisma, the quality, the experience…You can’t have Ancelotti, but you can have Allegri, Conte, and there would certainly be others…But there are things that need to be rethought. I see for example a country like Portugal with 10 million inhabitants: the competitions for young people, the working conditions…there are incredible differences.”
“Italy has to think a lot about the grassroots. I think Malagò is a strong name: he would bring a lot of experience and I would love to see him in the role of Figc president. He would definitely understand the need to change the grassroots structure. Italy is very strong in many Olympic sports (Malagò was president of CONI before Buonfiglio ‘s arrival, ed.).. I would go with the M&M combo: Malagò and Max (Allegri ed.).”
As for a coach role of his own, Mourinho is not a candidate at the moment: “I think about it but then I also think about my life without club soccer: without coaching every day, winning losing and drawing three times a week. Being happy, sad, frustrated, wanting to improve-I can’t imagine my life without these things. The time has not yet come for a national team.”
Mourinho also commented on who will win the World Cup: “I would like Portugal, which has the potential to make it. Carletto is Carletto, even if people don’t believe Brazil can make it.
For me, however, one thing is Brazil with Ancelotti and another is without. In my opinion it can make it. Argentina is the reigning world champion and they seem to me to be a real team: united, compact, enjoying playing for the national team. And then France, who with all the talent they have at their disposal can make three competitive teams.”
