The FIGC have officially confirmed Luciano Spalletti’s Azzurri staff list, which includes legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Former Napoli boss Spalletti is set to be officially announced as the new Italy coach on Saturday, and Italian football’s governing body have released a statement confirming the details of the presentation, as well his staff roster:
“With Spalletti, who will be presented to the media at Coverciano on Saturday 2 September, there will be his two historical collaborators, who started out with him, one on the bench and the other on the pitch, from the time of his debut as coach at Empoli (95-96): his deputy Marco Domenichini, from La Spezia, 65 years old, who has been with the coach from Certaldo for 26 years, and who has always followed him from Empoli to Naples, passing through Genoa (Sampdoria), Venice, Udine, Ancona, Udine again, Rome, St. Petersburg, Rome again, Milan (Inter) and Naples. And Daniele Baldini, in the role of assistant coach, Florentine, 59 years old, who in Spalletti’s Empoli was a staple in defence and then joined his former coach in his first experience at Roma (2005); The most recent arrival among the assistant coaches, with the coach since last season in Naples, is Salvatore ‘Sasà’ Russo, from Salerno, class of ’71, a long career between Serie B and C (and one season in A), with Spalletti in 2000 at Ancona, also with an experience at Empoli, as deputy to Martusciello in 14-15. As well as the Arezzo-born Francesco Sinatti (athletic trainer), who had started working in football the year before with Sarri at the ‘Castellani’, before following the ‘Comandante’ to Naples, where he then met the current coach two years ago. Also joining the staff as athletic trainer is Franco Ferrini, who has over twenty years of experience in the world of football and was already on Spalletti’s staff at Inter.
Working with the goalkeepers will instead be Marco Savorani, Roman, 58 years old, a Primavera scudetto (Roma, ’84), and many years between the posts before moving on to coaching, in his trophy cabinet two awards as best goalkeeper coach (2016 and 2017 at Roma). After his experience with Conte at Totthenam (2 years), from this season he is on Vincenzo Italiano’s staff at Fiorentina and will divide his time between the Viola and the national team.
Another former Empoli player is Alessandro Pane, a midfielder who made his name in Tuscany at the beginning of the 1990s and who has already experienced two seasons as Under-19 coach (2013-14 and 2014-15): for him the role of observer together with Giorgio Venturin and Marco Scarpa. Finally, Marco Mannucci, since 2016 in Club Italia, and Renato Baldi will be the match analysts.
Leading the Azzurri delegation, as already made official in recent weeks, will be Gianluigi Buffon, the record holder in terms of appearances in the national team (176), who had left in March 2018 after the Manchester friendly with Argentina. On the other hand, Gabriele Oriali, who after nine years as team manager with the coaches Conte, Ventura and Mancini, will not be part of the group, ending his experience in Azzurro.
Confirmed are the medical staff (Angelo De Carli and Carmine Costabile) and the physiotherapy staff (Mauro Doimi, Fabio Sannino, Emanuele Randelli, Fabrizio Scalzi and Walter Martinelli), the nutritionist Matteo Pincella and the secretary Emiliano Cozzi.”
