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Gennaro Gattuso walks during a warm up before the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Metz at the Stade Velodrome. (AP Photo)
Former footballer Gennaro Gattuso has been handed the reins of the Italian football team after the national federation sacked Luciano Spalletti earlier this month. The former midfielder, who made a name for himself for his hard-tackles, will have to steer the Italian team’s ship out of choppy waters as they seek to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. It’s a task made much harder by Italy being handed a 0-3 thumping by Norway.
Italy trail Norway by nine points in their FIFA World Cup qualifying group. To their credit, they have played two matches fewer than the group leaders rom Scandinavia. After the defeat to Norway, Italy had managed to beat Moldova 2-0. But that game turned out to be Spalletti’s final match in charge with the national team.
The Italians have won the FIFA World Cup four times in history of the competition, but have failed to qualify for the last two editions.
“Gattuso is a symbol of Italian football, the blue shirt is like a second skin for him,” Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina said. “His motivation, his professionalism and his experience will be fundamental to best face the national team’s next matches. Aware of the importance of the objective we want to achieve, I thank him for the willingness and total dedication with which he accepted this challenge.”
The Italian federation said that the coach will be “presented officially on Thursday, 19 June, at Hotel Parco dei Principi in Rome.”
The 47-year-old Gattuso has made 73 appearances for Italy. He was a member of the 2006 World Cup-winning squad, one of the four times the nation won the most prestigious trophy in football. Until recently, he was at the helm at Croatia’s Hajduk Split. He left the club by mutual consent, after a third-placed finish in the Croatian top flight. Gattuso has extensive experience of coaching in football clubs like AC Milan, Napoli, Valencia and Marseille, among others.
It must be noted that Gattuso’s only trophy as a coach was the Italian Cup title he claimed while at the helm in Napoli in 2010.
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The Associated Press reported that Gattuso was not the Italian federation’s first choice to replace Spalletti. That would be Claudio Ranieri, who turned down the offer.
Gattuso’s first match as Italy coach will be at home to Estonia on September 5.
(With inputs from AP, Reuters)
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