3? Besides Herrera for 4 matches? You are probably counting when they used to have a technical commission consisting of numerous coaches (where the CT derivitive was born) oversee these matches. In the early years, Italian football was filled with English managers, and some of them made the technical commission that oversaw the NT. EDIT: upon further cross checking when Herrera was Manager for 4 matches, some sources list it was alongside Valcaraggi in a Technical Commission set up. So by strict definition Italy has had a foreign NT Manager but never not as part of a Technical Commission. Pep would be the first in that respect.
You are correct, the 1954 Italy World Cup team was part of a committee with Lajos Czeizler and Angelo Schiavio. Also in the 1910s they had an Englishman a part of that committee. The way our coaches keep screwing up team after team, picking all the wrong guys, maybe we should go back to a Technical Committee, lol.
Could be a blessing in disguise. Juve, like Milan, only get the better foreign players at the end of their careers. Could force Juve to rebuild within. Di Gregorio had a very good season in Monza's first season up. Same with Brecianini. At the time I even had my eye out for Samuele Birindelli as he also was doing OK. Then the following season Di Gregorio had matches where he committed some brutal errors, I wrote about them here at the time. When Tek left we needed a GK and he was the best affordable one on the market. This one is on the player not the club. Ditto Koopmeiners. Ditto Openda.
If Malagò is all bit confirmed to be the next Federation President they might as well move up the voting and get it over with. I've heard he is friends with Mancini and so Mancio is all but guaranteed to be CT. Then it's really that he is long time friends with Allegri and Max is all but guaranteed the job. Who knows what to believe but if any of this is true, if Pep were to put his name out there, make overtures for the job, they would probably reject him. EDIT: BUT if rumours of Paolo Maldini involvement are true, I could see Maldini push to get Pep.
Suck 3-5-2, everyone! Bastoni about to feature more than ever! Giacchefrattesi players all over the pitch! No skill, just run your preplanned route and flick the ball exactly where we rehearsed in training without thinking Young players, if you want called up, run where I tell you! Flick where I tell you! If you dribble or express creativity, I'll squash you!
For me first choice guardiola or mancini then comes ranieri then baldini or inzaghi. Allegri or conte would be beyond horrific.
Last week it was Allegri confirmed. Now it's Conte confirmed. This is a shitshow. NO ONE IS CONFIRMED.
To be fair I prefer Conte to Allegri because he will also use a 3421 and a 442/433. 3421 is a baby step away from 352 but it is a step in the right direction. Slowly more Serie A and Serie B teams are going that way.
I would prefer it were an under 21 list..I feel like in Italy us grouping young players as U23 and younger is a bug part of the problem. Before you know it you are 25 and still in Serie B. But thats a good list some really interesting talents. Rao was doing so well in the 3421 and then bari switched to a 352 and he struggled the same way Pulisic struggles for Allegri. Hopefully Napoli makes use of him next year.
I understand the idea you're communicating but can anyone tell me stylistically how Pep is really all that different from Spalletti other than he has a blank check to buy what he needs to make his system work? Like for example, who will be his Halland, Cherki, Fodden, Rodri or Silva? That's a pretty stacked lineup. That, and the referee advantage in recent years is a great part of his success. Why do so many want to rush the decision? Let Baldini do his thing with the U21 and see what results he gains in a few weeks time. Why not give him the benefit of the doubt if he has them performing well and give him free reign through the next Nation's League and Euro cups, building a good core of youth with veterans in preparation for the World Cup? What's the fear? I get the allure of big name coaches but are they really that important? I saw Spalletti trying to bring his brand of attacking football to the team with limited success because he insisted on playing old farts that were well past their prime. Defensively he really only had two that could or would defend and no one protecting them in front. Pretty bad combination. Scaloni is starting to do the same with Argentina, and I'm not confident it's going to work this time around. Sometimes you have to let the old go and let the new do what it wants to do. I'd rather have a hungrier youth go to the World Cup and Copa America in the next few years and build for the World Cup in 4 years time because repeating is almost statistically impossible. I wish you all the best in the upcoming friendlies and hope you find something you can build upon. Not having Italy at the world cup and then having 16+ new teams that would never be there if it weren't for expansion into no mans land is really a tragedy.
Reports claim that the Greek football federation have been left frustrated by the suggestion that Italy will field a side primarily made up of U21 stars for their scheduled friendly in June, and some outlets suggest that there is a risk the game does not go ahead as a result. pic.twitter.com/ObYZwunVeY— Football Italia (@footballitalia) May 19, 2026
Auguri Richy 🚨 On his 24th Birthday, Riccardo Calafiori becomes a Premier League champion 🇮🇹🏴🏆 pic.twitter.com/BGMewLHSv7— CB21 (@cb2one) May 19, 2026
I’m not saying that our U21s are so strong they’ll beat the Greek senior side. But I think we have enough talent to give them a game. From the Greek perspective, any result other than a win is embarrassing. So that’s probably why they don’t want to risk it
Bit of trivia... Before the 19934 World Cup held in Italy, CT Vittorio Pozzo had picked a team of Oriundi, Juventini , Interisti and and enemies. Angelo Schiavio of Bologna had been his leg stepped on by Italo-Argerntine Luisito Monti who was on the 1930 World Cup team for Argentina. Because Schiavio and Monti hated each other, Pozzo decided to pair them as bunk mates during the pre WC retreat. At first neither wanted to share a room, then they relented and Schiavio said ok and said "allied yes friends never". From that point they became good buddies and Angelo sent Monti's family a heartfelt telegram when he died in 1983.