Cosmi: 'Keep Baldini - he reaches people in a way that Italy needs'

Serse Cosmi has called for the retention of Silvio Baldini as Italy coach, emphasizing that the interim manager has displayed more vision and communicative ability during two press conferences than most coaches do throughout their careers. This call comes as the Azzurri navigates a crucial moment following their third consecutive World Cup failure.

Speaking at the Benito Stirpe Live The Dream event, and quoted by TuttoMercatoWeb, Cosmi made a passionate endorsement of Baldini that stood out among his comments on various topics. He stated, “My judgment on the coach is biased, but I would keep Baldini because he said more in two press conferences than many others have in a hundred.” He added, “I would hold on to Baldini for now. A coach who communicates in that way should be with the national team because he reaches people.”

Cosmi, currently the coach of Crotone, also commented on the broader issues facing Italian football, attributing current failings not to the players or grassroots game but to those in power. “I am drastic about this, what is missing is people,” he declared. “In Italy in this last decade the people involved have not shown themselves to be up to the standard of the movement. I mean the people involved, not those who are at the top.”

Additionally, he reflected on the evolving relationship between fans and the game. “People watch football in a different way compared to 30 or 40 years ago. The love for football still exists, but there are things to understand and review. Football cannot do without the public and the passion of supporters; when that is gone, there will be no more football.”

Cosmi also shared a near miss from his career regarding the transfer market, revealing that he came close to signing Ezequiel Lavezzi for Genoa before the club's relegation doomed the potential deal. “I watched enormous amounts of footage of Lavezzi that season,” he recounted with a smile. “But then Genoa went down, I went elsewhere and Lavezzi went to Napoli.”