Italy’s repechage to the World Cup: clues grow as to who will lead the Azzurri
The clues are growing as to who will sit on the bench of the Italian national team starting next September. While news is still awaited from FIFA regarding the World Cup (Iran’s situation remains very intricate), work is being done in Italy on the choice of the new technical commissioner, with presidential candidate Giovanni Malagò having been moving on the issue for some time.
According to the latest rumors Massimiliano Allegri would step aside, the two papabili would only be Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte. For both would be a return to the Azzurro, and both are free: Mancini is ready to leave Al-Sadd (he has a termination clause in his contract) while Conte said goodbye a few days ago to Napoli, with whom he won the title in 2025.
On the sidelines of an event in Rome, the coach who won the European Championship in 2021 glossed over the question (“Me Azzurro coach? Next question…. I’m not here to talk about that.”
But his repentance after the turbulent 2023 farewell is no secret, and he said he is available to the Federation to be recalled.
Mancini’s desire to return is, moreover, confirmed by those close to him. Marco Roccati, Al-Sadd’s goalkeeping coach, had already made significant statements in recent weeks: “I think the coach would come back in a hurry because in my opinion he has left something unfinished and he would like to finish this mission.” Words that had been echoed by former assistant coach Attilio Lombardo, who was lapidary: “He would love to come back.”
The Azzurri will return to the field in June, with a completely revolutionized lineup by the traghettatore coach Silvio Baldini, who has decided to give a total turn, focusing on emerging talents of Italian soccer, and leaving out all the bigs apart from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
These are the summoned players:
Keepers: Giovanni Daffara (Avellino), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone);
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Defenders: Honest Ahanor (Atalanta), Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Fabio Chiarodia (Borussia Monchengladbach), Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina), Costantino Favasuli (Catanzaro), Filippo Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Marco Palestra (Cagliari), Luca Reggiani (Borussia Dortmund);
Midfielders: Matteo Dagasso (Venezia), Giacomo Faticanti (Juventus), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), Lorenzo Venturino (Roma);
Strikers: Francesco Camarda (Lecce), Luigi Cherubini (Sampdoria), Jeff Ekhator (Genoa), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Seydou Fini (Frosinone), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Luca Koleosho (Paris FC)
