Former Juventus star Carlos Tevez believes that Italy’s footballing ambitions should be revitalized under Antonio Conte and Paolo Maldini. However, he expressed his discontent with Luciano Spalletti, noting that Max Allegri is just as conservative in his approach as Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni.
During an interview with Italian media, including Repubblica, Tevez reflected on Argentina’s hard-fought victory against Cape Verde.
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Tevez criticized the performance of his national team but commended Lionel Messi. However, the bulk of the discussion veered back to Juventus and the Italy national team’s prospects.
Tevez: Italy Should Hire Conte and Maldini
“It’s unbelievable that Italy isn’t competing. Have you appointed a new coach yet?” Tevez questioned.
New FIGC President Giovanni Malagò is currently in the process of selecting both a head coach and a technical director.
Milan‘s legend Maldini is reportedly the frontrunner for the technical director position, while Conte and Mancini are top choices for the managerial role.
“I heard that Mali was being considered for the technical director role,” Tevez remarked.
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“In that position, he’s unparalleled, just look at his achievements with Milan. I’ve met him personally, and he’s remarkably astute. If you can get Conte and Maldini together, it would be a winning combination.”
When it comes to the next coach of the Azzurri, Tevez has a clear preference: “What a question! Antonio Conte for life. He’s the only one who can navigate you through this situation. He’d perform exceptionally well in his first year, as he always does. After that, we’ll see how things progress, but he needs unwavering support. He was the best coach I’ve had.”
Tevez played two seasons at Juventus, first under Conte in 2013-14 and then under Allegri in 2014-15.
“Allegri is also quite good,” he added. “I got along with him, but I did sometimes criticize him for being overly cautious. Similar to Scaloni, right?”
“If Conte took the reins of the national team, he would extract the best from the players,” he concluded.
On the topic of Juventus, Tevez stated his concerns about the club’s direction, expressing his dissatisfaction with Spalletti’s approach.
“Not qualifying for the Champions League is a disaster! They will need to rebuild from the ground up,” he lamented. “Spalletti lacks passion. Conte, on the other hand, has the drive, and that’s the kind of person I appreciate.”