Andrea Pirlo, Italy’s Head Coach: Malagò Is “Tormented,” According to the Corriere della Sera

Andrea Pirlo has agreed to join Paolo Maldini and Leonardo and will be Italy’s new head coach: the official announcement marking the start of a new era for the national team could come as early as this weekend. The choice fell on him immediately after negotiations to bring in Pep Guardiola fell through: the 2006 World Cup champion had been contacted some time ago by Maldini, his former teammate at Milan, who holds him in high regard.

Rumors of Pirlo’s increasingly likely arrival on the Azzurri bench have, as usual, divided the soccer community and fans, between those who see him as a young coach with fresh ideas and a solid foundation for the Azzurri’s revival, and those who criticize his sparse and less-than-stellar resume: a brief stint at Juventus that included winning the Coppa Italia, so-so stints at Fatih Karagumruk and Sampdoria, and his most recent year in the United Arab Emirates.

Compared to more seasoned coaches like Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini, Pirlo would fit more easily into the vision of Leonardo and Maldini, who hope to establish a shared philosophy that can then be applied to all the national youth teams.

According to the Corriere della Sera, however, the decision has not fully convinced FIGC President Giovanni Malagò, who is described as “tormented”: “On the one hand, he promised Maldini that the coach would be chosen with his full agreement; on the other, he knows that a wrong choice would be blamed on the federation’s presidency.” Malagò would prefer a more experienced coach and is aware of the concerns expressed by various stakeholders, primarily the Lega Calcio, which was strongly backing Conte. It will be up to him to give the final green light to this new era.