JEAN-CLAUDE TRICHET

FILE - In this Thursday, July 4, 2013 file photo, President of European Central Bank Mario Draghi smiles during a news conference in Frankfurt, Germany. Because it is Mario Draghi,’’ the deputy manager of the leading Milan Daily Corriere della Sera, Daniele Manca, said on Wednesday. He took a pragmatic approach during the financial crisis. Draghi joined the ECB as its third chief in 2011, just as Italy was engulfed in a debt crisis. The largely ceremonial role proves key in helping manage Italy’s all-too-frequent political crises, which require deft negotiations and unassailable knowledge of Italy’s constitution and institutions.

Chris Somodevilla | Getty ImagesThe former head of the European Central Bank (ECB) has joined a chorus of European finance chiefs in praising Christine Lagarde's candidacy for the ECB's top job. Croatian Finance Minister Zdravko Maric described Lagarde as "the one," in an interview with CNBC, who would run the bank as "an expert, not only as a politician." His Lithuanian counterpart, Vilius Sapoka, described the ECB as a "rocket science institution," that required someone with the "necessary skills" to run such an unique institution. "And I think in this regard, Lagarde is qualified," he told CNBC. He insisted that a European Central Bank, whoever is at the helm, will always have its limits.