The Italian national team is once again facing upheaval as the Italian federation (FIGC) have decided to sack coach Luciano Spalletti, the same manager has announced on Sunday ahead of the Moldova match that the Azzurri won 2-0, after losing 3-0 their first game of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Norway. After a disappointing 2024 Euro campaign when Italy were knocked out by Switzerland in the Round of 16 and missing out the last two World Cups in 2018 and 2022, Italy are now at risk of missing their third World Cup in a row. After Spalletti left the national team, Italy wanted to appoint Claudio Ranieri as their new head coach, but it was the AS Roma club advisor decided to turn down the opportunity to coach the Italian national team in the next year, and now the Italian FA is looking to appoint a new manager. According to Sky Italy, the strongest candidates are 2006 World Cup winners Gennaro Gattuso, Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Cannavaro, but Jose Mourinho has also emerged as a candidate according to transfer expert Matteo Moretto and here’s why he’s the best option.
The Italian federation are looking to appoint a young manager, someone who can also continue the project started with Luciano Spalletti in 2023, a totally different profile than the one of Ranieri who was supposed to a short term option until the 2026 World Cup that will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada next year. However, Italy have no time to lose as they have already lost the opening crucial match against Norway. The new manager lacks opportunities to experiment, making an experienced manager like Ranieri or Carlo Ancelotti (who just joined Brazil after leaving Real Madrid) type ideal.
With those two unavailable, Mourinho would be a very solid candidate, given his experience and also his way of coaching for the short term. Even if it looks unlikely he will take the job now, he could have been really exciting to see him coaching the Italian national team, and it’s not like he lacks experience in Italy, he did very well at both Inter and AS Roma lately.
Mourinho will one day coach a national team, as he said multiple times, and Portugal tried to appoint him in January 2023 after the Qatar World Cup, but at the time the Portuguese manager who refused that opportunity as he was still under contract with Roma and opted to stay at the club.
Mourinho coaching the Italian national team would have been great also for what it means ahead of the 2026 World Cup, where managers like Ancelotti, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann among others will be part of the much awaited tournament.
Italy will now likely hire Gattuso, who is expected to join the Azzurri ahead of the 2026 World Cup, hoping to at least qualify and avoid what would be another humiliation for the historical national team. In fact, the last time the Azzurri played a knockout match of the World Cup was the 2006 final won against France at the penalties, when the same Gattuso was part of the starting eleven. Time will tell if hiring a former legend of that national team was the best idea, knowing there is absolutely no room for any mistake in the next ten months.
