Those who have followed the World Cup finals since the last century (oh my gosh, how old we sound), have seen Italy play their way to World Cup titles in 1982 and 2006, in addition to being losing finalists in 1970 and 1994. Italy is the second most winning team in the World Cup, along with Germany, behind Brazil. Not necessarily for the best football, but the cynical one. So when Italy is out of another World Cup playoff after losing in the playoff final against Bosnia and Herzegovina, it comes as a shock, also beyond Italy’s borders. How is this possible? Now the Italians are going back to what worked.
Italian media claim Gennaro Gattuso is withdrawing in the wake of the disappointment in the play-off final, and this sends the Italian Football Federation out to find a replacement. Two names are already on the block, here Antonio Conte stands out.
READ: Potter’s bonus tastes so much better than the £18 million payout in the Premier League
Because unlike Max Allegri, Conte has already shown what he can do with the Italian national team. He was coach of Italy’s national team from 2014 to 2016 and led them to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016. Among his notable achievements were an unbeaten qualifying season for Euro 2016 and an impressive 2-0 win in the opening match against Belgium, marked by strong team spirit, tactical discipline and a remarkable 3-5-2 formation.
Antonio Conte currently leads Napoli, but is known to “drop out” if better opportunities come along. We think “all” of Italy will demand that the next coach is someone who has already shown how Italian football can assert itself in the world.
Read on F7: David Beckham has a clear opinion on what coach Manchester United now need
Right now, the national team coaching job for Italy seems like one of the “toughest in the world”. A task for Conte!
