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New York Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Gattuso is loved in Italy as a World Cup winner and for being who he is. Will that be enough?
Claudio Ranieri stepped out for the press conference in Rome. As he pulled back a chair and the cameras flashed, a mischievous smile appeared on his face. For once, Ranieri was not being unveiled as a new coach. Instead, he was the one doing the unveiling. Beside him was Gian Piero Gasperini, his successor at Roma. Ranieri leaned into the microphone like a stand-up comedian. He had a joke to crack. Advertisement 'Hello everyone,' he said. 'I think this is the first time you get to see two coaches (at one press conference). But don't be confused, eh. I still have a contract until June 30, so…' The gag went down well. Everybody laughed. But it fell flat elsewhere in the city — the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) was still getting over Ranieri's decision to turn down their offer to take over the national team. Its president, Gabriele Gravina, thought he had an agreement on a job-share whereby Ranieri would combine his forthcoming executive role at Roma with guiding Italy along the road to the World Cup next summer. However, Ranieri had second thoughts about the idea. The 73-year-old only returned to the touchline in November, six months after leaving what he had said would be his last job at Cagliari, because his hometown club were in such dire straits. If he had wished to continue coaching, rather than retreat back into (semi) retirement, he would have stayed on as Roma's manager. This was a double blow for the FIGC in their search for a replacement for Luciano Spalletti, who Gravina fired a couple of weeks ago following a 3-0 defeat away to Norway in Italy's opening World Cup qualifier. First of all, Ranieri's reputation hasn't been this high since he won the 2015-16 Premier League with 5,000-1 outsiders Leicester City. Over the past nine months, he has resembled a nonno, the grandfather figure of the Italian game, with a timeless winning recipe. Only Hansi Flick's Barcelona picked up more points than Roma in the second half of last season across Europe's top five leagues. Second, Ranieri, in his new position as adviser to Roma's owners, The Friedkin Group, was announcing Gasperini — someone who would have been another outstanding candidate to lead the national team. For context, the managerial carousel started at warp-speed this summer and left the FIGC with whiplash. Advertisement The initial uncertainty over Antonio Conte's future at new champions Napoli caused Milan to accelerate their pursuit of Massimiliano Allegri, who would have figured as another contender for the Italy gig had he been available. Brazil had spent more than a year courting Carlo Ancelotti to manage their national team, and finally got their man. Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal then threw more money at Inter's Simone Inzaghi than the FIGC could ever muster. Gravina also didn't have a job to offer until after that obliteration in Oslo on June 6. Which raised the question: shouldn't he have dismissed Spalletti already, after defending champions Italy's exit from the European Championship against Switzerland in the round of 16 last summer? It would have been premature to act then. Spalletti had Gravina's gratitude for leaving his post-Napoli sabbatical to take over Italy in difficult circumstances following Roberto Mancini's resignation to manage Saudi's national team, and the Euros came less than a year later. Spalletti deserved more time. With hindsight, it is easy to say that the interim was a waste of that time. So the options available to Gravina were limited. He leaned on Gianluigi Buffon, the country's most capped player, who became a member of his executive team after retiring in 2023, to help with the process of identifying Italy's next coach. Buffon had initially been made head of the delegation when he hung up the gloves — a counsellor and motivator the players could turn to for wisdom. Reports abounded late last summer that he considered his position after the Euros. Instead, Buffon broadened his remit. Since completing a course in the role, he is closer to a sporting director now. Drama never seems to be far away. One newspaper, La Sicilia, claimed Buffon almost quit when the return of Mancini, who only lasted 14 months in Saudi, was apparently put on the table. Advertisement Buffon skilfully handled questions about it at another press conference in Rome this week. 'As is the case every year, my contract expires on June 30, so the issue of resigning has never arisen.' Good save, Gigi. Next to Buffon and Gravina at the Parco dei Principi hotel sat the national team's new manager. He was not a foreigner, though the paucity of choice had sparked debate in Italy about whether it was time to appeal to someone like Jose Mourinho. In the end, the FIGC settled on one of the heroes of 2006, when Italy last won the World Cup: Gennaro Gattuso. 'This is a dream come true,' Gattuso said. 'I hope I am up to the task.' So does the rest of Italy. Missing out on qualification for a third consecutive World Cup doesn't bear thinking about. The explanations Buffon and Gravina offered for the hire came back to one intangible essential: vibes. They talked about passion, fire in the belly, and knowing what it means to represent your country. 'No one can ever take away Rino's fighting spirit and determination,' Buffon said. Gravina admired his self-'sacrifice' and the way he dealt with media scrutiny while coach of Milan and later Napoli. On the one hand, it is entirely understandable why the FIGC has gone in this direction. Italy were insipid against the Swiss in that Euros defeat this time last year. There was no soul in their recent performance in Norway either, when they found themselves three goals down at half-time. Gattuso will surely shock them back to life. And yet he was at pains to present himself as more than just a hype man. 'Everyone thinks of Gattuso as all heart and grit, but today I wouldn't put (that) Gattuso in my team, because of the way I want to play,' he said. At the same time, the 47-year-old spoke repeatedly about team spirit, identity, and the need for Italian players to reconnect with their national team. Advertisement His desire to emulate Marcello Lippi was less about also winning the World Cup and more about bonding a group of players and fostering the togetherness — the sense of belonging — which underpinned that 2006 team. Some members of it — Gianluca Zambrotta and Simone Perrotta — will be on his coaching staff, along with Leonardo Bonucci, one of the leaders of the Mancini-led Euro 2020-winning side. Cesare Prandelli, Italy coach from 2010-14, is also set to return. He will coordinate the development of Italy's next generation, focusing on the age groups below the senior side and acting in support of the youth-team coaches, as Arrigo Sacchi did a decade ago. The new setup has not won the approval that Spalletti's or Conte's appointments received in the past. Both were viewed for what they are: world-class coaches. Gattuso, by comparison, can't seem to stay in a job for more than two years, and the Coppa Italia he won with Napoli in an empty Stadio Olimpico during the pandemic was quickly eclipsed by the aforementioned managers winning the title with that club. He has bounced around posts in Switzerland, Greece, Spain, France and Croatia, also managed Palermo and Pisa (twice) and had talks with Tottenham Hotspur. Gravina's praise for his temperament amid the media glare also left one with the impression that the FIGC president can't be on social media, where the reels of Gattuso's press conference shenanigans have guaranteed virality. His 'sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe s**t' fulmination while at OFC Crete accurately describes Italy's past 15 years on the international stage. Good at the Euros (let's try to forget about last summer). Bad at making World Cups. Gattuso's most recent job saw him rescind his contract with Hajduk Split this month after 'only' a third-place finish, and Gravina particularly appreciated his promotion of academy players. 'This year, I played with (players born in) 2005, 2006 and 2007,' Gattuso said. Advertisement What everyone else appreciated about his season in Croatia were the memes. Gattuso shaved off his beard for the first time in 22 years (it was for a good cause; a local cancer charity); looking for hydration after a game, he grabbed a sponsored bottle during a press conference, took a swig, pulled a face, then looked at the label and realised it was coconut water. More famous was the mix of Spanish and English he spoke when confronting a critic, TV pundit Josko Jelicic, live on air. 'I don't give the hand to you because you speak too much,' he bristled. This is Gattuso: unapologetically himself and endearingly so. Italians love him. He is a legend not only for helping win the World Cup but for being who he is. Is that enough? Conte still represents the perfect combination of motivation and strategy. Gattuso would like to think he offers something similar. But the results, so far, have not backed it up. Nevertheless, Gattuso believes Italy have the players to do better than they showed under Spalletti. Personality clashes aside, the problems of his predecessor, however, reveal the significant difficulty level of the job awaiting him. That a coach as skilled as Spalletti couldn't lift this team — either to make them play to their potential or become greater than the sum of their parts — is a concern. 'I don't leave a great Italy,' Spalletti said in his last media engagement. 'You can't do differently; there are many games (the calendar causes fatigue and compresses the time available to train), many foreign players (68 per cent of Serie A), and the number of players available is limited (because of injury). Then there are those who do not play for major clubs, those who do not play in European competitions, and others who are still developing.' One imagines Ranieri won't regret resisting the temptation to coach his country. He appeared to show wisdom in knowing when to say: 'No'. Gattuso, by contrast, didn't hesitate in saying: 'Yes' to Gravina. He obviously needs it more. For Gattuso, the inevitable hassle of the Italy job is superseded by the honour it brings. What that tells us about his judgement, and that of the FIGC, will become clear over the next year.
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Gennaro Gattuso seeks ‘family' ethos in bid to avoid World Cup unthinkable
Gennaro Gattuso said all the things he was expected to say at his first appearance as Italy manager. He talked about the need to restore enthusiasm to an Azzurri side whose morale has been dented by recent setbacks, as well as that sense of shared purpose that bonded him to teammates in the World Cup-winning side of 2006. The word he kept coming back to was 'family', insisting: 'That's the most important thing, more than tactics or formations.' His is not a vision of paternalistic authority but of a group close enough to speak hard truths to each other's faces. 'In moments of difficulty, when you feel alone and don't hear the voice of your teammate, those are the 90 minutes that feel never-ending,' said Gattuso. 'This is what we need to change. We need to help each other, we need to say those things that maybe you don't want to hear, because that's the only way you grow.' They will have no shortage of material. Italy's men's team are at an all-time low. Having failed to qualify for consecutive World Cups, their attempts to reach next summer's tournament are in jeopardy after a 3-0 thrashing by Norway in their opening game of Group I. That result led the Italian football federation (FIGC) to sack Luciano Spalletti as manager, though he persuaded them to allow him one more game. The idea was to leave on a more positive note, and perhaps that was achieved in a 2-0 win over Moldova, though the pre-game conference at which he in effect confirmed his own termination made for an awkward occasion. How had it come to this? Spalletti's Italy were a disappointment at the Euros last summer, putting up a feeble defence of their 2021 triumph as they scraped out of their group with a 98th-minute equaliser against Croatia before losing meekly to Switzerland. The manager had been dealt a tough hand, replacing Roberto Mancini midway through qualifying. It was easy to argue he deserved time to implement his vision after steering Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years. But what was the point in continuing, if the federation's faith in him was always this fragile? Gattuso's appointment raises more questions about their approach. The FIGC's president, Gabriele Gravina, confirmed on Thursday that they had approached Claudio Ranieri first. That would have been a popular choice – a man with a reputation for rescuing teams in times of emergency, fresh from one last miracle with his boyhood team, Roma. But Ranieri already has a new job, moving upstairs as a senior adviser for the Giallorossi. As he explained it this week: 'I respect the national team, but I belong to Roma.' Gravina sought to portray it not as a rejection but merely a respectful conversation with the club's ownership. Whatever the truths of that story, it is a hard pivot from Ranieri – who made Leicester champions and has written countless brilliant chapters in his almost 40 years of management – to Gattuso, who has not yet left such a mark on any of the nine clubs he has led since 2013. There are always different ways to tell a story. Is Gattuso, 47, a man who has repeatedly fallen short of his clubs' objectives – failing to reach the Champions League with Milan and Napoli, finishing third in Croatia with Hajduk Split and not even lasting a full season with Valencia and Marseille in between? Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Or is he, as his former Italy teammate Gigi Buffon – head of delegation for the Azzurri at Euro 2024 and seemingly moving into a more prominent role for the federation – argued on Thursday, a person who has shown courage to go to different countries and take on different challenges, continuing to grow and to evolve? Defending his own work, Gattuso pointed out his Milan and Napoli sides each missed the top four by one point, and that his Hajduk team this season were in with a shot at their first league title in 19 years going into the final weekend. All of which can be well and true, but in his new job there will be no grey area: only success or failure. For Italy to miss a third consecutive World Cup ought to be unthinkable, but the lopsided nature of their defeat by Norway, who have played two more games and won both, means even a perfect record from here on may only land them back into the playoffs from which they have failed to progress in each of the past two cycles. If the goal were only to make Italy a family again, Gattuso would have every chance of success. His presence at the podium alongside Buffon felt like a homecoming, albeit an understated one, the heroes of 2006 given their opportunity to lead. Journalists prefaced questions not with deferential honorifics but instead a familiar 'ciao Rino'. In the end, though, the requirements of this job remain the same as they always were. Gattuso needs to win, starting with his first game, at home to Estonia in September. This family is sick of losing. He will hear hard truths soon enough, and from more people than he may care to, if he cannot make it stop.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gennaro Gattuso seeks ‘family' ethos in bid to avoid World Cup unthinkable
Gennaro Gattuso said all the things he was expected to say at his first appearance as Italy manager. He talked about the need to restore enthusiasm to an Azzurri side whose morale has been dented by recent setbacks, as well as that sense of shared purpose that bonded him to teammates in the World Cup-winning side of 2006. The word he kept coming back to was 'family', insisting: 'That's the most important thing, more than tactics or formations.' His is not a vision of paternalistic authority but of a group close enough to speak hard truths to each other's faces. Advertisement Related: 'A symbol of Italian football': Azzurri appoint Gennaro Gattuso as head coach 'In moments of difficulty, when you feel alone and don't hear the voice of your teammate, those are the 90 minutes that feel never-ending,' said Gattuso. 'This is what we need to change. We need to help each other, we need to say those things that maybe you don't want to hear, because that's the only way you grow.' They will have no shortage of material. Italy's men's team are at an all-time low. Having failed to qualify for consecutive World Cups, their attempts to reach next summer's tournament are in jeopardy after a 3-0 thrashing by Norway in their opening game of Group I. That result led the Italian football federation (FIGC) to sack Luciano Spalletti as manager, though he persuaded them to allow him one more game. The idea was to leave on a more positive note, and perhaps that was achieved in a 2-0 win over Moldova, though the pre-game conference at which he in effect confirmed his own termination made for an awkward occasion. Advertisement How had it come to this? Spalletti's Italy were a disappointment at the Euros last summer, putting up a feeble defence of their 2021 triumph as they scraped out of their group with a 98th-minute equaliser against Croatia before losing meekly to Switzerland. The manager had been dealt a tough hand, replacing Roberto Mancini midway through qualifying. It was easy to argue he deserved time to implement his vision after steering Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years. But what was the point in continuing, if the federation's faith in him was always this fragile? Gattuso's appointment raises more questions about their approach. The FIGC's president, Gabriele Gravina, confirmed on Thursday that they had approached Claudio Ranieri first. That would have been a popular choice – a man with a reputation for rescuing teams in times of emergency, fresh from one last miracle with his boyhood team, Roma. But Ranieri already has a new job, moving upstairs as a senior adviser for the Giallorossi. As he explained it this week: 'I respect the national team, but I belong to Roma.' Gravina sought to portray it not as a rejection but merely a respectful conversation with the club's ownership. Advertisement Whatever the truths of that story, it is a hard pivot from Ranieri – who made Leicester champions and has written countless brilliant chapters in his almost 40 years of management – to Gattuso, who has not yet left such a mark on any of the nine clubs he has led since 2013. There are always different ways to tell a story. Is Gattuso, 47, a man who has repeatedly fallen short of his clubs' objectives – failing to reach the Champions League with Milan and Napoli, finishing third in Croatia with Hajduk Split and not even lasting a full season with Valencia and Marseille in between? Or is he, as his former Italy teammate Gigi Buffon – head of delegation for the Azzurri at Euro 2024 and seemingly moving into a more prominent role for the federation – argued on Thursday, a person who has shown courage to go to different countries and take on different challenges, continuing to grow and to evolve? Defending his own work, Gattuso pointed out his Milan and Napoli sides each missed the top four by one point, and that his Hajduk team this season were in with a shot at their first league title in 19 years going into the final weekend. Advertisement All of which can be well and true, but in his new job there will be no grey area: only success or failure. For Italy to miss a third consecutive World Cup ought to be unthinkable, but the lopsided nature of their defeat by Norway, who have played two more games and won both, means even a perfect record from here on may only land them back into the playoffs from which they have failed to progress in each of the past two cycles. If the goal were only to make Italy a family again, Gattuso would have every chance of success. His presence at the podium alongside Buffon felt like a homecoming, albeit an understated one, the heroes of 2006 given their opportunity to lead. Journalists prefaced questions not with deferential honorifics but instead a familiar 'ciao Rino'. In the end, though, the requirements of this job remain the same as they always were. Gattuso needs to win, starting with his first game, at home to Estonia in September. This family is sick of losing. He will hear hard truths soon enough, and from more people than he may care to, if he cannot make it stop.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gattuso brings first Italy change after Spalletti
Gennaro Gattuso stated in his first press conference as Italy's coach that the players called up should remain at Coverciano, even with minor injuries, adopting a different approach than his predecessor, Luciano Spalletti. Gattuso was unveiled at a press conference in Rome on Thursday, and even if he admitted he would not have time to make 'big changes', he already announced a switch from his predecessor Spalletti. Advertisement Gattuso said that his first request to Italy Delegation Chief Gigi Buffon and FIGC President Gabriele Gravina was to keep players at the Italy training centre in Coverciano, Florence, during international breaks, even if they have minor injuries. The new Italy boss insisted that the national team has an adequate staff to monitor and treat players dealing with minor injuries, so they should remain with the national team if called up. Gattuso's first Italy change SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Gennaro Gattuso of Valencia CF reacts during the LaLiga Santander match between Real Sociedad and Valencia CF at Reale Arena on November 06, 2022 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel) 'The first thing I asked the President and Buffon was: Anyone coming to Coverciano must stay, even if they have a minor issue,' said Gattuso. Advertisement 'We have everything in place to treat them. To be credible and avoid excuses. If a player is called up, he stays in Coverciano, just like when I played. If we can't get them healthy, then they return to their club. What matters most is spending time together. Players usually sustain minor injuries when playing 50 or 60 games a year, but we can't start setting dangerous precedents.' Spalletti different approach REGGIO NELL'EMILIA, ITALY – JUNE 9: Luciano Spalletti head coach of Italy gestures during the FIFA 2026 Qualifier between Italy and Moldova at Mapei Stadium – Citta' del Tricolore on June 09, 2025 in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy. (Photo by) Spalletti employed an entirely different approach, sending back to the clubs those who arrived at Coverciano in poor shape. One of the latest examples was this past March when Atalanta striker Mateo Retegui was forced to pull out of the team due to a muscle problem. Advertisement 'We sent Retegui back home because he would not recover, but we hope he returns for the next Atalanta game,' Spalletti said. 'The exact problem is not well defined, but he has [muscle] fatigue, and, as we've always done, we decided to release him.' Gattuso said he had spoken to Spalletti: 'I have enormous respect for him,' the new Italy boss said. 'He's a true football mind and innovates every year.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
New Coach Gattuso Vows to Restore Enthusiasm to Italy
Italy's new coach Gennaro Gattuso on Thursday pledged to restore enthusiasm and create "a family" at the battered national team, aiming to secure qualification for the next World Cup after the Azzurri missed out twice in a row. Gattuso replaces Luciano Spalletti, who was sacked this month following a 3-0 defeat by Norway in a World Cup qualifier. He officially departed after overseeing his final match, a 2-0 victory against Moldova. "It's a dream come true, and I certainly hope to be up to the task. I know the job won't be easy, but nothing in life is easy," said Gattuso, who recently left Croatian club Hajduk Split after a third-placed finish in the country's top flight. Nicknamed 'Ringhio' (Growler) for his tenacious attitude on the pitch, the 47-year-old earned 73 caps for the Italian national team and was a key member of the 2006 World Cup-winning squad. Fans hope his strong character can help with the task of taking the four-time world champions to next year's World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Reuters reported. Italy, third in World Cup qualifying Group I, will host Estonia on September 5 before taking on Israel three days later. "My goal is that whoever comes to the training ground comes with great enthusiasm and to create a family," said Gattuso, who according to a source at the Italian soccer federation (FIGC) was given a one-year contract. Gattuso spent the bulk of his playing career at AC Milan, where he won two Champions League and two Serie A titles, before returning to coach the club from 2017 to 2019. As a manager he won the Coppa Italia with Napoli in 2020. "The primary aim is to create a sense of belonging" to the Azzurri team, Gattuso told reporters during his presentation to the press at a luxury hotel in central Rome. The new coach said he believed players felt the pressure of having missed out on qualification for two World Cups in a row and that was weighing on the team's performance. "We must be good at reacting, only those who react and give it all can get out of this situation," he said.
