Just as Dino Zoff did in the wake of Italy’s defeat to France in the final of UEFA EURO 2000, Cesare Prandelli tendered his resignation following La Nazionale’s exit from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ on Tuesday.
“When the project is a failure, then you have to take responsibilities,” said the coach after watching his side go down 1-0 to Uruguay, a bitter blow that prompted him to call time on his stint in charge.
Honest, demanding, upright and committed to playing the game the right way, Prandelli is a fair-minded coach who has always been committed to team discipline, even going to the length of introducing a code of conduct after agreeing to take on the job in May 2010.
Getting down to work after La Nazionale’s deflating display at South Africa 2010, the new man won over his bosses, the players and the fans alike, breathing new life into the national team. Aside from taking La Squadra Azzurra to the final of UEFA EURO 2012 and overseeing a fine performance at last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup, perhaps his biggest achievement was to transform the image of a side long noted for its commitment tocatenaccio.
While his unconditional support for the fiery Mario Balotelli was the trigger for much debate whenever the player overstepped the line, Prandelli stood tall in the face of criticism and calmly explained the reasons for his faith in him.
“When you have someone as talented as he is, you just have to be patient,” he once said of AC Milan striker. “The time will come when the talent has to start taking responsibilities.