Now it's official: Roberto Mancini, former Serie A coach of Lazio, Fiorentina and Inter, will be the new coach of the Italian national football team. He is the man chosen by the FIGC to relaunch a movement that entered a decisive crisis after the victory of the 2006 World Cup in Germany: since then two eliminations in the groups and even one non-qualification, the dramatic one for Russia 2018, after the play-off with Sweden last November.
Only the last pass was missing, that of the current club of the coach from Jesi, Zenit of St. Petersburg. The two sides reached an agreement yesterday: Mancini waives all fees and can now sign, perhaps as early as next week, to become the new blue coach with a two-year contract worth two million net per season. Mancini, who has also coached and won a lot abroad, especially in his experience at Manchester City, will therefore have to lead the national team to the 2020 European Championships, which for the first time will be traveling to various countries on the continent.
With Mancini there is insistent talk of a return of Mario Balotelli, who played with him at City and was launched at the time of Inter. In the next few days' meeting between Roberto Mancini and the FIGC commissioner Fabbricini, the staff of the next blue coach will also be decided. Andrea Pirlo will be part of it, it remains to be understood with what role. Coach Carminati pushes to stay at Zenit but he could work in blue during the stops. The position of the coach's historic deputy, Angelo Gregucci, also remains to be verified.
It will begin with a first meeting on May 22nd, then on the 28th the debut in a friendly against Saudi Arabia and, starting next September, the qualifiers for the European championships. Mancini, 53, has been coaching since 2000 (he started as Eriksson's assistant at Lazio). In the national team, as a player, he played for 10 years, playing only 36 games and scoring 4 goals.
