Maldini stated that the financial issue was not the reason for the deal falling through. Guardiola chose not to accept the invitation to rest, having spent ten exhausting years in the Premier League and undergone back surgery. He wanted to take a break, but the discussion was very serious, and they studied the teams from the under-17s upwards. Guardiola even went as far as writing down team line-ups on paper.
Maldini resigned just 16 days after taking the role to lead the Italian national team's football direction. Without Guardiola, he and Leonardo agreed to hire Pirlo as coach, but the name was vetoed by Giovanni Malagò, the FIGC president. As a result, Maldini and Leonardo decided not to continue in their positions. Malagò went on to hire Roberto Mancini as coach and Claudio Ranieri for the national team's direction.