Roberto Mancini says “it would be an honour” to take the Italy job – “I could always return to clubs after the national team”.
The Azzurri are looking for a CT after Giampiero Ventura’s sacking, and it appears the favourites are Mancio, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte.
With the latter two both linked with club jobs – Ancelotti with Arsenal and Chelsea, Conte with Paris Saint-Germain – the Zenit St Petersburg boss could well be the most likely solution.
Roberto Mancini says “it would be an honour” to take the Italy job – “I could always return to clubs after the national team”.
The Azzurri are looking for a CT after Giampiero Ventura’s sacking, and it appears the favourites are Mancio, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte.
With the latter two both linked with club jobs – Ancelotti with Arsenal and Chelsea, Conte with Paris Saint-Germain – the Zenit St Petersburg boss could well be the most likely solution.
“I have a dream, to win as CT what I couldn’t win as a player: a World Cup,” Mancini revealed, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport today.
“I’ve been working on the pitch every day for 40 years as a player and a Coach. Besides, I’m young, I could always return to clubs after the national team.
“I’ve worked last big clubs and won. Coaching the national team is a beautiful thing. It would be an honour, a source of pride.
“And wining a World Cup or European Championships even more so…
“There are good young people there, I like [Andrea] Belotti, [Lorenzo] Pellegrini, and [Alessio] Romagnoli, who can still grow a lot. And more are coming through every season.
“Italians have something more. The materials are there to do a good job, perhaps we need to give a common approach to all the youth teams as happened when I was there.
“I’d also like to see jobs for former players, but not just by virtue of who they were. Only those with something to give, with passion and charisma.
“And they’d have to be in roles proportionate to their knowledge and their experience, symbols don’t help anyone.
“Money wouldn’t be a problem. Let’s make it clear though, we’re talking off the cuff here: I have a contract with Zenit, who are doing well.”
They aren’t doing as well as at the start of the season, however…
“We rebuilt the team, we started well and we went ahead. Then we suffered by being in Europe, we struggle with two games a week.
“But now we’re second, eight points behind Lokomotiv Moscow and we can recover. After the winter break it’s Lokomotiv-Spartak straight away.
“We can shorten the gap in the standings and relaunch ourselves.
“Aleksandr Kokorin? He could have played for any club in Europe.
“Is he like Ivan Perisic? No, Kokorin is a true superstar. Perisic is physically devastating, but he lacks consistency. I signed him, I know.
“Even when he doesn’t do much though, he does a lot. Who is better than him at Inter?”