Interim Italy head coach Silvio Baldini appears to have given his endorsement to Antonio Conte, who remains linked with a move to return to the national team set-up following the resignation of Gennaro Gattuso earlier this year: ‘Whenever he didn’t win, he always came second’.
Baldini is serving as Italy’s interim head coach following the resignation of Gattuso immediately after the World Cup play-off final defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of March. A permanent CT will not be appointed before the FIGC Presidential elections take place on June 22.
Several names have been linked with the vacant Italy national team head coach role: Massimiliano Allegri was among the first, but he is now set to take over from Conte as head coach of Napoli. Pep Guardiola has also been touted as a long-shot ‘dream’ option for the Azzurri.
As things stand, reports indicate that Conte and Roberto Mancini, two former CTs, are the leading candidates to replace Gattuso.
Baldini, speaking during his pre-match press conference ahead of Italy’s friendly against Greece, praised Conte and his ‘methodology’ in what appeared to be a public endorsement of the former Juventus, Inter and Napoli tactician.