Former Juventus boss set to lead the Azzurri.
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Italy have confirmed former Juventus manager Antonio Conte as the successor to Cesare Prandelli, report the Mirror, making him the second highest paid coach in world football behind Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola.
Conte resigned as Juventus manager this summer after leading the Old Lady to three successive Serie A titles, reportedly due to concerns over the club’s inability to keep hold of its star players.
The man that Conte succeeds, however – Cesare Prandelli – left his post as manager of the Azzurri after a dismal 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign, that saw them eliminated in the group stage after defeats against Costa Rica and Uruguay, despite beating England 2-1 in their opening fixture in Manaus.
The expectation for Conte will be comfortable qualification for Euro 2016 in France, a tournament that the Italians will feel that they should have a genuine chance of competing to win.
Conte will have to mastermind victories against Croatia, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan and Malta in Group H of qualifying for Euro 16, although the additional eight teams that will qualify for this tournament should make the route through for major nations such as Italy even more comfortable.
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