Lippi quits at the right time

In life, once you reach the pinnacle the challenge ahead is always to maintain those high standards.

A new coach will lead Italy's campaign in the 2008 European Championship, starting in September.

Days after having led the Azzurri to an incredible World Cup success, Italy's fourth, Marcello Lippi quit the national team making way for the promising, but inexperienced, Roberto Donadoni.

Lippi's move brought about a mixed reaction. Many, however, reckon the former Juventus and Inter coach did the right move.

Some years back, Fabio Capello, now at the helm of Real Madrid in Spain, confessed in an interview that back in 1994 he had committed a serious mistake in not quitting Milan after having led them to an unprecedented Serie A title and the European Cup in the same season.

Capello emphasised that those two achievements in one year had represented the maximum any Italian coach could reach in club football. It was the right time to leave... but he did not.

Instead, Capello stayed on for the next two years. In 1994/95, Milan were never in the hunt to retain the scudetto and, to make matters even worse, they went down to Ajax in the Champions League final.

At that point in time, it made good sense for Capello to remain at the helm at least for one more year to try and help the Rossoneri rediscover their winning touch. And so he did.

At the end of season 1995/96, Milan won the scudetto and Capello was able to leave for Madrid on a high note even though his last Serie A title only represented an anti-climax with respect to that double cup success of two years before.

But, you may ask, what has all this to do with Lippi's decision to quit the national team days after Italy were crowned world champions for the first time in 24 years?

In my opinion, Lippi resigned for various reasons including the allegations connecting his son, Davide, with GEA World - the company owned by ex-Juventus director general Luciano Moggi's son Alessandro.

Lippi may have also taken into serious consideration the fact that just before the World Cup got underway, there were some who had called for his resignation due to his son's possible involvement in the soccer scandal.

Lippi took everything into account before making a final decision because he was passionate about his job.

So much so, that I recall interviewing him some six years ago and one of the points that he had brought up was the fact that at that particular time, he already relished a stint at the helm of the national team.

Also, the enthusiasm Lippi brought about in the Italy clan and the way he used to speak about the team and his players made of him the right man for the right job at the right time.

One should not forget that when Lippi took over, the Azzurri were coming from the 2002 World Cup 'fiasco' and a first-round exit in the 2004 European Championship. But in the space of two years, Lippi worked extremely well with his players and the results are there for all to see.

Not that Italy played that brilliantly under Lippi, particularly in the World Cup, but he fostered a healthy dressing room and, above all, a team spirit that made of the Azzurri the envy of all the other national teams in Germany.

Lippi knows only too well that, although possible, it is very difficult for the Azzurri to win the next European Championship considering that a number of key internationals, including Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi, are in the twilight of their career.

Lippi fulfilled his dream job to the full and quit on a high note.

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Past experience teaches that after achieving resounding success sometimes it pays off to change.

Did Manchester United achieve something bigger than the fantastic treble of 1999? Did Italy repeat their success when Enzo Bearzot was retained after leading Italy to the world title in 1982?

France, on their part, went on to claim the 2000 European Championship title after Aime Jacquet quit Les Bleus days after having led the team to their first ever World Cup in 1998.

In Italy, the announcement of Donadoni as new coach came as a surprise to many.

Probably, the old-styled soccer pundits would have preferred a tried and tested man, like Lippi, with a proven pedigree on a European scale.

Donadoni has none of this even though as a Milan player he won everything there was at stake at club level.

Donadoni moves to the job after a positive stint with Livorno in Serie A. He proved himself after assembling an awesome team capable of challenging for a UEFA Cup berth with a limited financial budget. Then, against all odds, he was replaced by veteran coach Carlo Mazzone in the midst of the campaign.

Naturally, Donadoni inherits a national team brimming with confidence. There could be several changes in the squad but his challenge is to keep up with the good work of his predecessor.