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Determined and disciplined but respected by his players, Italy coach Cesare Prandelli also possesses the human touch that can make the difference at the helm of one of the world’s top national sides.
The question is: can the 55-year-old former Juventus midfielder get the most out of an Italy squad which is still in relative transition and searching for a definitive identity a year out from the 2014 World Cup?
Known to defend his players in public, Prandelli takes no prisoners when authority and discipline are called for.
He reacted furiously when striker Pablo Osvaldo hit out at his coach at Roma, Aurelio Andreazzoli, for leaving him on the bench during the recent Italian Cup final, after which the Argentine-born marksman refused his loser’s medal.
“Pablo Osvaldo won’t take any part in the Confederations Cup … due to his behaviour,” said Prandelli.
Prandelli is not afraid to lay down the law, but that is not at the expense of results; the Azzurri are poised to qualify for their 19th World Cup finals.
Although the name of one of the big three Serie A clubs is missing from his CV, Prandelli is one of the most respected coaches in Italy.
After spells with Verona, whom he led back to Serie A in 1999, and Parma, he took over at Roma for the 2004-2005 season only to leave the club when his wife Manuela fell seriously ill.
When he joined Fiorentina, Prandelli made light of the troubles in his private life to transform a team that had just escaped relegation into one that earned a UEFA Cup spot thanks to their fourth place finish in the league.
Fiorentina were eventually denied that honour due to their role in the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal, which also earned them a 15-point penalty for the start of the 2006/7 campaign.
Only two months into the following season, Prandelli was left mourning the wife he had met as a teenager in his hometown of Orzinuovi after she succumbed to breast cancer.
Prandelli went on to steer La Viola to a sixth placed finish, sealing a UEFA Cup place thanks largely to the 31 goals scored by Luca Toni in 38 games. Fiorentina lost out to Rangers on penalties in the semi-finals but Prandelli was awarded the Serie A coach of the year award.
He then steered Fiorentina to the Champions League the two following seasons. In 2010 La Viola notably lost in the round of 16 to beaten finalists Bayern Munich.
Shortly afterwards, Prandelli was appointed to replace Marcello Lippi after Italy’s group stage exit at the 2010 World Cup.
Despite a defeat to Ivory Coast on his debut, Prandelli led a bedraggled Italy side to the finals of Euro 2012 only weeks after the eruption of another Italian match-fixing scandal had threatened to uproot their campaign.
Italy were humbled 4-0 by Spain but Prandelli was given a huge pat on the back on his return.
His challenge since has been the smooth transition of younger players into a team brimming with experienced campaigners from champions Juventus, and Milan.
