Italian Media Wild With Azzurri Speculation

By: Martha | March 22nd, 2007

Mmm ... Donadoni. Due to his rocky-ish start at the helm of the Azzurri (two wins, one loss and one draw in competitive matches), the Italian press are claiming Roberto Donadoni’s job is on the line going into the Scotland clash next week. If he wins, they say, it’s all good. If he fails to get the full three points, however, he’s reportedly out on his ass, with Carlo Ancelotti (who has spend much of this season being told he’s not good enough for Milan) ready to take his place. Of course, no specific sources are sited for this report, and the FIGC are, as you might expect, filling the air with cries of support for Donadoni, in whom they have the dreaded “full faith.” Watch your back, Roberto.

For his part, Donadoni’s supposed replacement gave a surprisingly entertaining interview to La Gazetta dello Sport today in which he announced the following: The Champions League final will be Milan v Chelsea (Sheva! Our Sheva!); Bayern, while physically strong, “do not have much quality” (!); he doesn’t want to coach abroad when he leaves Milan, but would prefer to take the helm of … yes, the national team. Later, when asked to name the best players in the world (not counting his team) at various positions, he named a diverse crew including his beloved Gigi Buffon, the dreaded Ibra, Didier Drogba, Daniele De Rossi, Stevie Gerrard and PSV’s Alex. The best part, though was when, in the context of a discussion about transfer targets, the interviewer asked Ancelotti what he would tell the club to do if they had €200 million to spend. His answer? “To renew the contract to the trainer.” Look at that! Cheeky humor, from Carlo Ancelotti! Who knew?