Gennaro Gattuso done as Italy manager, here are the candidates to take the role 

The last few days have been rough for Italy and for Gennaro Gattuso after the loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday night. As the country licks its wounds the federation has it’s work cut out after Gattuso stepped down as manager.

Gattuso say arrivederci

Italy went into the International break with their World Cup lives on the line. They had to win both of their playoff matches. After a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland they had an all or nothing match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. They took the lead in the first half, but a red card shown to Alessandro Bastoni turned the tides heading into the second half. They would conceded a goal, go to extra time and eventually lose in penalties.

In a move that everyone was expecting, the Italy manager stepped down from his role, as well as Gianluigi Buffon who resigned from his position as the head of the Delegation.

Gattuso “With a heavy heart, because we have not achieved the goal we set ourselves, I consider my time as national team manager to be over,” said the outgoing manager.”

“It was an honour to lead the national team, and to do so with a group of players who have shown dedication and loyalty to the shirt. But my greatest thanks go to the fans, to all Italians who have shown their love and support for the national team without fail over the past few months,” Gattuso said.

Top manager replacements

Italy haven’t been to the World Cup since 2014 when they were eliminated in the Group Stages. Since then six managers have come and gone, and Italy are set to start the search for the seventh following Gattuso’s decision to step down.

Some of the candidates are familiar faces that have spent time as the Italy manager before, others could be in the running to take the national team for the first time.

There are two candidates that have already had a stint on the Italy touchline. Roberto Mancini has been mentioned as well as Antonio Conte. Mancini spent five years as the national team coach, and won the Euros in 2020. Conte took over after Cesare Prandelli’s Italy crashed out of the 2014 World Cup, and lasted just two years.

Max Allegri has yet to coach the national team, but he is the fan favorite according to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport. The current AC Milan boss has risen to the top of the list over the last few days.

Thiago Motta is another candidate that has proven himself both on the pitch and the touchline. After a great spell at Bologna he was appointed manger of Juventus in 2024, but lasted just nine months, before he was fired after a disastrous set of results.

The dark horse candidate is Fabio Cannavaro who was captain of the the World Cup winning Italy side back in 2006. He has a short managerial career with stints in China, Serie B and Croatia but has yet to prove himself on the touchline. Despite that, he did tell The Mirror, “There is a risk of throwing away our football culture, which for a long time the entire world envied.”

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