International Football
Osimhen’s former coach urges Italy to forget World Cup heartbreak…he is the new messiah
Luciano Spalletti under who Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen speaheaded Napoli’s historic winning of the Serie A title inMay has urged Italy to forget the pain of failing to qualify for the past two World Cups as he takes charge of the Azzurri’s Euro 2024 bid following the departure of Roberto Mancini..
Italy face North Macedonia and Ukraine in two matches crucial for their chances of qualifying from Group C for next summer’s tournament in Germany.
Spalletti took charge of the European champions last month after the shock resignation of Mancini, who was then hired as Saudi Arabia coach in a mega-money deal.
Mancini won Euro 2020 but also presided over play-off defeat to North Macedonia which kept them out of last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
“We need to forget the bitterness of two results which left scars on us and play a style of football that people like, a style of play that brings together an important footballing nation,” Spalletti told reporters at Italy’s Coverciano training centre.
“To be here as the national team coach is a special feeling, a long-held dream of mine. I was 11 years old for the 1970 Mexico World Cup, when I asked my mother to make me flag as big as possible after the 4-3 (semi-final) win over Germany.”
Italy lost that final 4-1 to Brazil.
Italy are third in Group C with three points after a 2-0 win over Malta and a 2-1 loss to England, who are top with 12 points from four games.
Spalletti has omitted some big names for his first squad, with Mancini’s captain Leonardo Bonucci, Marco Verratti and Jorginho all left out of the 29-man group announced on Friday evening.
Veteran Bonucci has represented his country 121 times and was key to Italy’s triumph at the last Euro, played in 2021.
The 36-year-old signed for Union Berlin on Friday after being frozen out by Juventus.
Midfielders Jorginho and Verratti were also stars of the team which became national heroes by beating England in the Euro final at Wembley, but Spalletti says they have been left out due to lack of playing time.
“We need players who have international experience, but it was unthinkable to pick Marco Verratti and Jorginho given the amount of playing and preparation time they’ve had,” said Spalletti.
“The players have to be happy to wear the jersey, it’s a very important jersey which has a great history. I want to see pride.”
Spalletti is still under contract with Napoli until June next year after deciding to take a season-long sabbatical following his Serie A title triumph with the club last term.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who allowed Spalletti to step aside, is demanding compensation of three million euros ($3.3 million) to release his former coach from his contract.
“Lawyers are working on it,” said Spalletti.
“I hope that we will find a solution which satisfies both parties.”
-AFP
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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