Mancini Back, Pirlo Out and Italy Still a Mess: What It Means for the Azzurri’s Future

Italy football never does things quietly. Within the space of 48 hours, Andrea Pirlo ruled himself out over a betting controversy, Paolo Maldini resigned as technical director after just two weeks in the job, and Roberto Mancini was handed the keys to the Azzurri for a second time. If you thought the last few years of Italian football were chaotic, this week was something else entirely.

Pirlo's Exit and the Betting Shadow Over Italy's Rebuild

The most eyebrow-raising part of this whole saga is why Pirlo pulled out. His ties to a Russian betting company made the appointment impossible to push through, and the FIGC clearly couldn't afford another controversy. Italy are already the laughing stock of world football for missing back-to-back World Cups, and having a manager embroiled in a gambling-related scandal would have been catastrophic for the federation's credibility.

The irony is sharp. Italy, a country that has one of the most passionate relationships with football in the world, can't even get their managerial appointment over the line without drama. Pirlo stepping aside was the right call, but it doesn't make the situation any less embarrassing for everyone involved.

Why Mancini Was Always the Logical Choice

Once Pirlo was out, Mancini was the obvious answer. The FIGC had already gone to Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti before settling on Pirlo, so it's not like there were untapped options sitting in a drawer. Mancini was available, he knows the job, and he already delivered the greatest result in recent Italian football history when the Azzurri lifted Euro 2020 at Wembley.

His first spell had a clear arc. He came in and transformed a side that had just missed the 2018 World Cup, built something genuinely exciting, won a European Championship, and then watched it fall apart. The 2022 World Cup play-off loss to North Macedonia was a disaster that hung over everything, and when they failed to qualify again this time under Gattuso, it showed the structural rot runs deeper than one manager can fix.

Still, Mancini knows the Italian game. He managed Inter, Lazio and Manchester City with real success. His return is a calculated bet by the FIGC that familiarity and proven quality at this level is worth more than a fresh face with no senior international experience.

What Italy Fans Should Actually Expect

Italy are not going to the 2026 World Cup automatically. They'll need to qualify, and given recent history, nothing should be taken for granted. The Nations League campaign starting against Belgium on 25 September will give us our first real signal of where this squad is mentally and tactically under Mancini again.

Belgium are in decline but still capable on their day. Turkey will be awkward away from home. These are not gimme games, and if Italy drop points early, the narrative around Mancini's return will curdle fast. The pressure is already baked in from the moment he accepted the job.

Claudio Ranieri stepping in as technical director alongside him is a curious pairing. Ranieri is a warm personality and carries credibility from the Leicester miracle, but this is a very different kind of challenge. His role will be crucial in creating stability behind the scenes after the Maldini and Leonardo resignations destabilised everything before it even started.

Our Read on Italy Under Mancini 2.0

We think Mancini will get Italy through qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The squad has talent, the motivation to end this shameful run of absences is huge, and Mancini genuinely understands what it takes to get the best out of Italian players at international level.

What we're less convinced about is whether he can build a side capable of competing with the elite nations when it matters most. The Euro 2020 win was brilliant, but it was also built on a very specific set of circumstances and an exceptional run of form at exactly the right time.

For bettors, Italy returning to World Cup qualification markets will be one to watch once the draw is made. They're not the force they once were, but they're not a team you'd dismiss either. Back them to qualify, be cautious about backing them to win anything once they get there.

Mancini's back. Italy are still a work in progress. At least now they have someone in charge who has done this before.