Italy's sole survivor in Champions League cannot mask Serie A struggles
The Straits Times
Feb 26 - For the second successive season, Serie A has one club remaining in the last 16 of the Champions League as Italian football struggles to compete in Europe's premier club competition and risks falling even further behind. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Feb 26 - For the second successive season, Serie A has one club remaining in the last 16 of the Champions League as Italian football struggles to compete in Europe's premier club competition and risks falling even further behind.
No Italian club finished in the top eight of the league phase, which would have meant avoiding the knockout playoffs, a symptom of a wider malaise in Italian football with the national side also facing a playoff competition to avoid missing out on the World Cup for a third consecutive occasion.
Atalanta came back from 2-0 down after their playoff first leg against Borussia Dortmund to advance on Wednesday, while Juventus came close to their own great escape but ultimately paid the price for a 5-2 loss to Galatasaray last week.
Serie A champions Napoli exited the competition after the league phase. Antonio Conte's side struggled to compete on both fronts, and now find themselves 14 points off leaders Inter Milan as the Scudetto slips from their grasp.
Inter, last season's Champions League finalists and widely regarded as the best side in Italy, went out of the competition to Bodo/Glimt, losing both home and away to the Norwegian club having suffered a humiliating defeat against Paris St Germain in last year's decider.
Against PSG, Inter were devoid of ideas, and outclassed by a young, dynamic team in a 5-0 hammering. Italian football often struggles to produce this type of exciting player, and the clubs do not have the money to bring them to Serie A.
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