Game over for Gattuso, and Italy still hasn’t found its bounce
In the freezing night after the exit, an odd silence took over Italy’s own version of Clairefontaine. No noise, no doors slamming, just that suspended moment when a whole country realises it won’t be going to the United States. The next day, the verdict arrived. Gennaro Gattuso is no longer in charge of the Azzurri. It lasted less than a year, and it ends with a bitter taste, almost metallic, the flavour of missed penalties and regrets that stick to the skin.
A heavy failure, an obvious call
Missing out on the 2026 World Cup was the hurdle they absolutely could not smash straight into. Italy knew the stakes. They could smell the storm, but still hoped the clouds might break. Then Bosnia turned up for real, the sort that doesn’t flinch when it’s time to scrap, the sort that finally snuffed out the blue dream. Bosnia-Herzegovina didn’t steal anything. Italy just didn’t do enough to deserve it.
The statement landed like a blunt, but dignified, judgment. “It is with a heavy heart…” Gattuso wrote as he confirmed his exit, pointing to the failed target as the final line. No meltdown, no theatre. Just the clarity of a man who knows football doesn’t care about your feelings. A few minutes later, the Italian Football Federation confirmed it, thanking the coach for relighting a spark many had thought had gone out. A neat way to turn the page.
A ship taking on water
He’s not the only one leaving the deck, either. Before him, president Gabriele Gravina had already handed back the keys, closely followed by an icon, a legend, a giant: Gianluigi Buffon, who bowed out after serving the national team in a more off-field role. Three exits in a matter of days. It looks less like housekeeping and more like a full-scale alarm.
This rapid turnover feels like a major rebuild. The Azzurri haven’t just lost a ticket to 2026. They’ve lost direction, continuity, and a plan. Gattuso was brought in to put some fury back into the group, a bit more bite, a bit of that inner fire that used to bend Europe to Italy’s will. At times, it worked. The energy came back. So did the football, sometimes. But the puzzle was never fully solved, and every small crack turned into a landslide.
An Italy still chasing a reset
So what’s left now? A national side still searching for an identity, a country that’s starting to get used to the letdowns but refuses to treat them as normal. Italy isn’t just any football nation. It’s theatre. Permanent drama. A multi-act play where the twists always show up when nobody’s looking.
The next chapter is still shrouded in fog. The new coach will have to balance old habits with fresh ideas. More than anything, he’ll need to fix what’s been breaking down lately: consistency, creativity, and the ability to control big matches. There’ll be no shortage of candidates. Or pressure.
Gattuso goes, but the story rolls on
For Gattuso, this spell ending in 2026 isn’t a stain or a disaster. It’s a chapter. A coach is only as strong as the next job on the horizon. He leaves with the dignity everyone expects from him, and the anger he’ll never really lose. He leaves behind the memory of a man who tried, sometimes succeeded, often fought, but never found the final piece of the puzzle.
Italy, meanwhile, has to keep moving, even if the road ahead looks a mile long. The scars are fresh, the shame has been avoided, but the wound runs deep. It’ll take guts, ideas, and a proper fresh start to put things back together. Still, the Azzurri’s history says it all: they know how to rise again. Sometimes quicker than anyone thinks.
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