Allegri on Italy job: ‘I hope to stay at Milan for a long time, but life is unpredictable…’

Max Allegri said he hopes to ‘be the Milan coach for a long time,’ but when pressed on taking the Italy job, responds ‘life is unpredictable and you never know what could happen.’

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The Nazionale are seeking yet another CT after Gennaro Gattuso walked away just eight games into his tenure, having failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Allegri has been named as one of the primary contenders for the role, but remains under contract with the Rossoneri and on track to reach the Champions League after one season.

Allegri asked about Italy ambition

During today’s press conference, he was asked outright if he would like to be the Italy boss in future.

“I haven’t thought about it yet,” replied Allegri.

“I am at Milan, I am happy here, and hope to be here for a long time. We started with the objective of qualifying for the Champions League, which is a fascinating tournament that I have not participated in for a while. I’d like to play it with Milan.

“The Nazionale problem is not just about the coach, but the entire system that needs to find solutions. It is not all to be thrown away, because even when things are going badly, there is always something you can build on.”

When pushed further, he did not close the door completely on the Italy job.

“Life is unpredictable, you never know what could happen…”

Allegri was also asked about the problem around Italian football as a whole, not just for the Nazionale, but also at club level where no teams made it to the Champions League quarter-final.

“I am sad about the World Cup, but I think everyone should take this as an opportunity to grow. There are those whose job it is to get together, examine the rules, see what can be done from the very foundations of academies to the first team.

“I don’t think it can all be sorted out in 10 minutes. We need time to create a united front of ideas so we can be in the best condition to reach the World Cup in 2030.

“We do have good players in Italy, and I think the future is in good hands. I repeat, it is not about the coach, there are many things to be examined before 2030.”

Among the potential ideas to fix Italian football is a change of rules to force Serie A sides to play local talent rather than foreign imports.

“It’s difficult, because you’d have to look at the statistics compared to all the other big leagues. I am sure that once they look into these things and take the time to not make any rash decisions, they’ll find the solutions,” replied Allegri.