According to football-italia, Andrea Pirlo is set to become the new head coach of the Italian national team. Although the appointment is seen as a long-term plan, the former AC Milan and Juventus midfield legend has a primary task to focus on right now.
What should Pirlo focus on first after taking over as Italy's head coach?
According to multiple reports over the past 24 hours, Pirlo is about to be appointed as the new head coach of the Italian national team. Since Gattuso resigned after Italy's defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup play-off final on March 31, the Azzurri have been without a coach since early April.
Paolo Maldini, the newly appointed technical director of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), flew to Barcelona to meet with Pep Guardiola to discuss the vacancy of the managerial position. He also admitted that he had previously communicated with Carlo Ancelotti.
In the past few weeks and months, Conte and Mancini have also been linked with the job, but Pirlo seems to have Maldini's support, even though his expected appointment has not satisfied everyone.
Maldini and his advisor Leonardo recently stated that this new Italian plan is a long-term project that may take 8 to 10 years to bring the Azzurri back to the top of world football as they hope, but Pirlo still has an urgent task to deal with.
That is the upcoming UEFA Nations League, which will run from September to November and culminate in the finals in the summer of 2027.
Italy has been placed in Group A of the UEFA Nations League, where it will face tough competition from France, Belgium and Turkey, playing each opponent in two legs, home and away, over the next few months.
This is not only an opportunity for Pirlo and Italy to demonstrate their determination, but Italy's performance in the UEFA Nations League will also affect their FIFA world ranking, which in turn may affect their seeding position if they qualify for major tournaments.
Currently, Italy is ranked 15th in the FIFA world rankings, their lowest ranking since 2019.
