Andrea Pirlo is on the verge of being confirmed as the next manager of the Italy men’s national team. The FIGC are handing the reins of the new dawn of one of football’s calmest-ever personalities.

But how has that translated to management? Pirlo has been a coach for a little over half a decade, and while he was given charge of Juve’s first team under dubious circumstances, his time leading the Bianconeri remains his best returns in the panchina given what has followed.

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After leaving The Old Lady, Pirlo took a season away from the dugout before returning to management out in Türkiye with Fatih Karagümrük. There, he stayed one season again, helping them to a mid-table finish before his departure, immediately after which the team were relegated. They will play next season in the Turkish second tier once again, having suffered another relegation last term.

After leaving Fatih, he returned to Italy with Sampdoria ahead of the 2023/24 season. In his first season, he took them to the Serie B play-offs, but a poor start to next season earned him an early dismissal; Samp would go on to almost get relegated to Serie C that season.

Then, in 2025, came his most left-field move when he was announced manager of Dubai United of the second tier of UAE football. In his first season, he led them to promotion to the UAE Pro League.

That brings us to this summer. His track record and list of clubs won’t really inspire much confidence among Azzurri supporters who are looking to start strong and take the right steps going into the next era, though we have also seen how different fortunes can turn out to be in international football for managers who don’t reach the upper echelons of its club counterpart.

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Pirlo has been an advocate for adaptive formations and possession-first football, though in recent years he has admitted that the game is getting more physical than ever and having players attuned to the pace of the game is paramount, while one-on-one mavericks can be quite the trump card.

International football, by the very nature of the calendar, thrives on chaos and individual brilliance more than the intricate, tightly knit paradigms of the club side of things. You still need a team to win the team sport, but if Pirlo can bring together a group of talented individuals, inspire them to perform as a collective through his famously calm persona using a reliable rudimentary tactical setup as a bedrock, then Italy may at least be able to brace the harsh waters that await them just off the shore as they begin a new journey.

Anshuman Joshi | GIFN