No international stars, no international trophies and not much for the fans to look forward to. That recaps Italy’s current state of affairs. Once a mighty superpower, The Azzurri are now a shadow of their old selves.
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Juventus – an island surrounded by negligence and irresponsibility
There was a time when Serie A was the strongest league in football. There was a time when Italy was the most feared team in international football. That is a thing of the past now. Missing the World Cup for the third time in history and the first time since 1958 was the last dot in a long line of steady demise for Italian football.
Corruption and greed destroyed Serie A and ate through the Italian national football team in the process. Juventus are the only ones who survived the collapse and the only ones willing to do the sacrifice necessary to be on top. They’ve won the last seven league titles and with the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo, an eighth one is all but sealed. The Old Lady reached two Champions League finals over that span. No other Italian team has come even close (until Roma last season).
“The Old Lady seems as an oasis in the desert of Serie A.” – Marca.
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Serie A or Federcalcio – Who’s to blame?
Despite Juventus’ efforts to incorporate young Italian players into the squad, Allegri’s team primarily consists of foreigners. The lack of development in youth squads directly affects the national team. Marco Verratti and Jorginho are the only players involved in top European clubs. Italy has been left without elite footballers who have been crowned champions or even competed for major individual awards.
The Italian football federation thought bringing a seasoned and proven coach such as Roberto Mancini will provide a quick fix, but based on initial results, it won’t. Italy still consists of mediocre footballers who lack experience, motivation, and guidance to perform at their best when wearing the national team jersey. A draw versus Poland and a loss to Portugal to kick off the UEFA Nations League campaign are hardly promising. The winning mentality which adorned Italy for so many years is gone. Confidence is at an all-time low, and it drags down results with it.
Unless something radical happens, it will be a while before Italy is back where it belongs.
