The quest to find a new high profile coach for the Italian National Team seems to have come to an end. Roberto Mancini, according to a report that came out yesterday on the paper version of La Gazzetta Dello Sport and other Italian outlets, has agreed to terms with the Italian Football Federation to sit on the National Team bench for the next two seasons. There’s only one, slight, detail that is preventing the agreement from becoming official: the resistance of Zenith St. Petersburg, the club Mancini is working for at the moment.

Between Mancini, the Italian Federation, and Zenith Fc: complicated?

Gazzetta Dello Sport reports that Mancini and representatives of the Italian Football Federation met at the beginning of this week to finalize an agreement to become the next National Team coach. Both parties have found common ground to seal the deal: two million of Euros per season to the coach (around $2.4 million) for the next two years and a selected number of aides that Mancini will be allowed to bring with him to form his staff.

Mancini would be ready to start his new job next Monday, just in time to make his first call-ups for the next three of Italy’s friendly matches against Saudi Arabia, France, and Holland. With the agreement set between Mancini and Italy, it will be up to Zenith St.

Petersburg to let him go and do it quickly. That’s why the Italian manager went back to Russia to finish the season there and try to find a way to leave Zenith and eventually sign his new deal with the Italian Federation. That's where problems begin. Mancini has a deal in place with Zenith that runs out in 2020, and he’s on the books for $7.1 million per season.

The results achieved by the Italian manager in his first season in St. Petersburg are disappointing, though, Zenith was unable to win the title and, even worse, is out of the next Champions League. According to a report which appeared on the web version of Il Corriere Della Sera, Mancini is willing to resign, but Zenith could refuse to accept the resignation and force the manager to stay put.

Also, the Russian club could file a lawsuit against the Italian Federation. In the unforeseen event that Mancini couldn’t set himself free from Zenith, the most prominent alternatives are the former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri and the actual interim National Team coach Gigi Di Biagio.

Mancini one of the brightest talents and winningest managers of all

Roberto Mancini has been one of the most talented Soccer players in the history of Italy. He was born in Jesi (Ancona) on November 27, 1964. As a player, he won two Serie A titles, six Italian Cups, two Italian Super Cups, one Euro Cup and two European Super Cups between Bologna, Sampdoria and, Lazio; recording a total of 733 caps among all competitions and scoring 204 goals.

As a manager, after a brief stint as an assistant of Sven Goran Eriksson at Lazio, he became the manager of Fiorentina replacing Fatih Terim in March 2001. After one year in Florence where he won the Italian Cup, he went back to Lazio in the head coach capacity, this time. Mancini spent two years there (2002-2004), winning another Italian cup (year2003). In the summer of 2004, Mancini signed for Inter for the first time. He has been the manager of Neroazzurri from 2004 to 2008 winning three Serie A titles, two Italian Cups, two Italian Super Cups.

After leaving Inter, Mancini became the manager of Manchester City giving to that half of Manchester a Premier League title (season 2011/2012), an FA Cup (season 2010/2011) and a Community Shields (2012).

He was also the manager at Galatasaray in Turkey (Season 2013-2014, winning a Turkish Cup), a second unsuccessful stint at Inter (from November 2014 to June 2016) and, finally, at Zenith St. Petersburg this season. All in all, Mancini, as a manager, won 13 titles among every competition between Italy, England, Turkey, and Russia, making him one of the best-considered manager in European Football. At National Team level, Mancini has 36 caps with Italy, with four goals and a third place in the Italia ’90 World Cup.

For Mancini to bring glory to Italy he must bring back Mario Balotelli

Roberto Mancini will have the task to bring back Italy to the place it belongs in the world soccer landscape. Particularly after the major let down of not qualifying for the World Cup in Russia - Italy was eliminated by Sweden at the playoff - this summer.

Italian soccer is facing an impervious transition phase. The likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti, Andrea Pirlo, Giorgio Chiellini, to name a few, have already retired, or are on the verge of calling it a career. At the same time, there are a bunch of young talents (Andrea Belotti, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Federico Chiesa just to highlight the brightest ones) who are not yet established.

Roberto Mancini has the goal of optimizing the available talent, matching it to a modern and attractive playing style, and bringing that winning mentality that he has developed in managing top-rated teams around Europe over the years. Mancini, according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, has already stated that he wants to bring back Mario Balotelli into the National team squad.

Mancini and Balotelli have a love-hate relationship since their times at Inter, where Mario, still a youngster, gave a crucial contribution to help Inter to win last Mancini's last Serie A title.

They met again at Manchester City, and their relationship went south with a famous public confrontation during a training session, where the two had to be separated by Mario's teammates and Mancini's assistants. Balotelli, after several dark years, is slowly but surely reconstructing his career in France, playing for OGC Nice. Balotelli scored 41 goals in 64 games with the Cote d'Azur side. He ended this season with 24 goals in 36 games. A level of performance good enough to put him in serious conversation for being recalled in the Italian National Team.

All this, though, could be the near future. The present is about Roberto Mancini being able to leave Zenith Fc and officially sign with the Italian Federation.
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