Interviewed by Corriere della Sera, Paolo Maldini has explained why he chose Andrea Pirlo as Italy head coach, before his brief spell as president of Club Italia and technical director of the national team came to an end. Maldini also reveals the two other names he and Leonardo considered for the job: Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso.
Maldini said: "Pirlo? Our idea was linked to technique. To attacking football. To change. In Italy we have fallen behind in many things. We wanted the development of young players to be based not on tactical overkill but on technique, one-on-one play, and an attacking mentality. And we wanted a young coach who had a history with the national team. There were three names".