Italy have appointed their new manager for the national team, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that Luciano Spalletti will take over on a three-year deal.
Luciano Spalletti Named New Italy Head Coach
Spalletti Replaces Mancini
With Italy set to resume their European Championship Qualifying campaign in September, Luciano Spalletti has been named as successor to Roberto Mancini as head coach for the national side after the latter’s resignation on August 13.
Despite Euro 2020 glory just two years ago, Mancini had come under increasing pressure in his role after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar last year – the second successive World Cup they have failed to qualify for.
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Mancini’s side also started their current European Championship Qualifying campaign slowly, with a 2-1 defeat at home to England in March before a win against Malta put them back on course.
Following the recent resignation, the Italian football federation (FIGC) have moved quickly to secure his replacement.
Will Spalletti Replicate Napoli Success?
Spalletti described as an “excellent coach” is a hot commodity after his Napoli side stormed to the Serie A title last season. The champions lost just four games in the league and finished 16 points ahead of second-placed Lazio. Despite this success, he requested to leave Napoli at the end of last season to take a year-long sabbatical but will return to the dugout earlier than expected with the national side.
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The 64-year-old Italian brings a wealth of experience in Italian domestic football. This experience should hold him in good stead as Italy attempts to recover from an up-and-down few years.
Spalletti’s first order of business will be to ensure Italy does not miss out on next year’s European Championships, with their remaining six qualifiers taking place between September and November.
Main Image Credit: Biser Todorov on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
