5 replacements for Gian Piero Ventura as Italy manager

#1 Carlo Ancelotti

The most obvious choice and a clear favourite with the bookmakers, Ancelotti may be the in the right place at the right time to clean up Ventura’s mess. The former Milan midfielder turned successful coach is currently out of work having been sacked by Bayern Munich earlier this season.

His stock may be the lowest it has been for years, but he is still among the best coaches in the world, capable of moulding big egos and young players together to create winning teams. Not only did he win the Champions League twice with the Rossoneri, losing another final, but he brought Real Madrid their tenth crown, something they’d craved for 12 years, less than a year into his Santiago Bernabeu reign.

He also kickstarted the Qatari era at PSG and broke all sorts of records at Chelsea.

Results looked good on paper at Bayern, winning the Bundesliga last season, but the performances weren’t. Like everywhere else he has been, Ancelotti was popular in Bavaria, but he didn’t have the trust of the dressing room, who believed he wasn’t playing the right way.

Man-management remains his core strength, coupled with great tactical nous, and with the Italian side are in a delicate moment in terms of quality coming through, he appears the perfect man to oversee the transition.