The national team will not be entrusted to the former Milan and Juventus midfielder. Contacts with a Russian club with close ties to the Kremlin, doubts about his coaching track record and the debate over the future of the national team have led politicians and supporters to discuss merit, responsibility and appropriateness rather than football allegiances

Paolo Maldini and Leonardo approached Carlo Ancelotti and went to court Pep Guardiola. They’ve set their sights on the very best. They could turn to Andrea Pirlo for a project aimed at restoring the national team to its former glory within 8 to 10 years

When the former national team manager’s idea was made public, we all expressed skepticism. But it might be the right choice because what matters is a truly shared vision, a management team willing to defend it against the firing squad of public opinion, and a genuine rebuilding of Club Italia

The national team cannot afford prestigious apprenticeships, friend-and-favourite pickings or nostalgia-driven moves. Guardiola is the dream, Mancini is the memory, Pirlo is the gamble. Antonio Conte is the solution. The call is not merely to choose him. It is to convince him, for once, not to behave like Conte