Too slow ? Too conservative? Lack of means ? Italian football has entered into introspection after the elimination of all its clubs even before the quarter-finals of the Champions League, a first since 2016. “An announced failure in which the victim, our football, is also the culprit”, summed up the Corriere dello Sport party, like other media, in search of remedies. The thrills of the European Grand Eight, Italy will leave them to the English (three qualified clubs), the Germans (two), the Spaniards (one), the French (one) and the Portuguese (one).
After Inter Milan, released in December, the three qualifiers for the eighth will not have gone further: logical for Atalanta Bergamo against Real Madrid (0-1, 1-3) and Lazio Rome against Bayern Munich (1-4, 1-2), fell against ogres, but disastrous for Juventus against FC Porto reduced to ten for an hour on the return (1-2, 3-2 after). The Italian decline is a strong trend, noticeable since the 2003 100% Italian final between Milan and Juventus. In the fifteen seasons preceding this summit (1988-2003), Italy had placed eleven clubs in the final and won five C1. And since: five clubs in the final for only two successes, the last dating back to 2010 with José Mourinho’s Inter. Last year, Atalanta saved the honor by inviting themselves into the Final 8 in Lisbon, beaten by Paris SG (1-2) in the quarterfinals. In 2018, Juventus also stopped in the quarters (against Ajax) after trembling in the eighth against Atlético Madrid.
For ex-coach Fabio Capello, Italy is simply not keeping pace with a game that has revolutionized elsewhere, in England, Germany and Spain in particular. “Italian football is slow,” criticized the consultant of the Sky Italia channel. “We think we can win with tactics, but it becomes difficult when you go to Europe, against teams with such intensity,” he added, dazzled by the mastery of Real or the permanent desire of Bayern despite a qualification almost in pocket. In modern football where all players defend and attack together, Capello pointed to the anomaly of having Cristiano Ronaldo “exempt from helping others” to defend at Juve. A remark no doubt also valid for other stars of Serie A such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Milan or Franck Ribéry at Fiorentina. Lazio defender Francesco Acerbi bowed to the “winning mentality” of the Bavarians: “They are winning and still want to win. ”
The financial argument
At the beginning of the season, Serie A had shown the beginnings of an evolution with more playing teams (Sassuolo, Verona, but also promoted like La Spezia), on the model of Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta or the Italy by Roberto Mancini. Even Antonio Conte’s rigorous Inter attacked for a while with more players, even taking more risks.
But after the setback in C1 and the need for results in the league, the Nerazzurri have become very “Italian” again, more compact, more wait-and-see and … more victorious in Italy.
Atalanta Bergamo was eliminated from C1 by Real Madrid (first leg: 0-1, second leg: 1-3). Last year, Atalanta saved the honor by inviting themselves into the Final 8 in Lisbon, beaten by PSG (1-2) in the quarterfinals. Pierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP
Beyond the field, one of the explanations is obviously financial because Italy no longer necessarily has the means to attract the stars. Even Juventus (10th in the 2021 barometer of the firm Deloitte on the wealth of clubs) and Inter (14th) are now struggling to compete with Barcelona, Real, PSG or the big English clubs. The expected income from TV rights for the coming seasons, currently being allocated, should at best allow this situation to continue, but it seems difficult to hope for real growth.
However, the financial argument is not enough to explain the rout of the stars of Juve against Porto. Are also evoked, in bulk, a defect of the Italian formation, some international evolving / moving abroad (Verratti, Florenzi, Jorginho), even the state of the grounds in Italy which would not favor the beautiful game “European” . Good news despite everything for Serie A: like Inter, who became dapper when their schedule was lightened, Juve, Lazio and Atalanta will now be able to devote themselves to the championship. With one goal for all: to find this so painful, but so attractive, Champions League.
Anthony LUCAS/AFP
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Too slow ? Too conservative? Lack of means ? Italian football has entered into introspection after the elimination of all its clubs even before the quarter-finals of the Champions League, a first since 2016. “An announced failure in which the victim, our football, is also the culprit”, summed up the Corriere dello Sport party, like other media, in …
