Ventura says Italy's problems run deeper than the manager after World Cup failure
Former Italy manager Giampiero Ventura has insisted the national team's systemic issues are far greater than whoever occupies the dugout, following the Azzurri's failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. Ventura, speaking on Radio Anch'io Sport, offered sympathy for the outgoing Gennaro Gattuso but argued that the manager is "the last of the problems" for a nation that has not addressed fundamental flaws since his own tenure ended in 2017.
Ventura was in charge for Italy's infamous playoff defeat to Sweden in November 2017, which cost the team a place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He believes little has changed in the intervening years. "From Italy-Sweden onwards, nothing has changed," Ventura said. "The criticism was personal, they needed to find a scapegoat. But that is now in the past. Certainly it affected my decision to step away." Italy subsequently missed the 2022 World Cup and, under Gattuso, failed to qualify for the 2026 tournament after a loss to Slovenia last week.
The ex-coach absolved Gattuso of sole blame, pointing to a pattern of underperformance. After winning the 2006 World Cup, Italy exited at the group stage in both 2010 and 2014, have now missed three consecutive World Cups, and endured a poor Euro 2024 campaign, with the victory at Euro 2020 standing as a notable exception. "It's not all the managers' fault, that's obvious," Ventura stated. "The critical issues are structural. The government must intervene, not just the football federation."
Ventura revealed that, much like former technical director Roberto Baggio, he once presented a detailed plan to overhaul Italian football's foundations, focusing on youth development. He argued that the pathway from youth teams to senior football is too steep in Italy and that the culture around developing talent is flawed. "The buildings are constructed from the foundations, not from the penthouse," he said. "Once, we lived exclusively for technique. Today, often in the youth sectors, the coach's ambition is not to grow a talent, but to reach an objective to then leave the youth sector and advance individually."
He cited examples like Napoli's Leo Vergara and Roma's Federico Pisilli, young players who have seen limited action despite their clubs' injury crises, as evidence of a reluctance to trust youth. Ventura expressed understanding for Gattuso's current feelings, having experienced similar guilt after the Sweden defeat. "I've been through it too, you feel responsible for not reaching the objective," he said. "I advise him to start again serenely doing the job he has always done."
When asked if he would ever take the "hot potato" of the national team job again, Ventura was unequivocal. "Absolutely not," he said. "I wouldn't have wanted to take it even when I did take it. After very little time, I realized I had made the wrong choice. The prerequisites weren't there then, and they aren't there today." His comments underscore the profound challenge facing the Italian Football Federation as it searches for Gattuso's successor, with the need for structural reform appearing as urgent as the appointment of a new coach.
