No league is more represented in the quarter-finals of the three international competitions than Serie A. Italian football is re-emerging as one of the greats in international business. An uptrend that will last?
In the second leg of the round of 16 Champions League SSC Naples picked up the pace again – and Eintracht Frankfurt shrugged their shoulders helplessly. A considered change of sides in front of the penalty area, a pass down the run and a sharp cross. Victor Osimhen – two steps ahead of the Frankfurt defense – pushes the ball over the line. Too fast, too efficient, too good.
“Naples overwhelms Frankfurt”, was the headline in the Italian “Tuttosport”. With a 5-0 win after the first and second leg, coach Luciano Spalletti’s team made it through to the quarter-finals of the premier class. And the success symbolizes the (re) ascent of Italian football.
Because Napoli is one of a total of six teams from Serie A that is still looking for a title in international business. And it’s already clear that a team from Italy will also make it into the semi-finals of the Champions League, as Napoli meet AC Milan in the round of eight.
Inter Milan, who have to face Benfica Lisbon, still have chances. In the Europa League, AS Roma and Juventus Turin are among the favourites, and in the conference league mixes the AC Florence with. No league has as many teams in the three quarter-finals across all competitions as Serie A.
| countries of origin | number of teams |
|---|---|
Italy | 6 |
England | 4 |
Belgium | 3 |
Germany | 2 |
Spain | 2 |
Portugal | 2 |
Netherlands | 2 |
France | 1 |
Switzerland | 1 |
Poland | 1 |
Serie A: Back on the road to success
A rapid sporting development, since over the past few years Serie A has been smiled at as a hard shoulder for veteran professionals who have long since ceased to annoy the international top in terms of sport and finance. Only AS Roma have celebrated an international title as an Italian team in the past ten years by winning the Conference League in the 2021/22 season.
“In the past 20 years almost everyone has overtaken us, Serie A has become the Serie B of Europe”, complained Paolo Scaroni, President of AC Milan, according to “Goal” last summer. But the Italian top teams are back in the fast lane, at least temporarily.
| team | season | Competition |
|---|---|---|
AS Roma | 2021/22 | conference league |
Inter Milan | 2009/10 | Champions League |
AC Milan | 2006/07 | Champions League |
For example with Naples, who only allow a few chances to score thanks to excellent running performance and defensive composure (only six goals conceded in the Champions League) and regularly punish opponents with a difficult to control switching game around new discovery Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and star striker Victor Osimhen ( 25 goals in the Champions League – maximum).
Represented in all three competitions
Or with the two Milan teams, each of which only conceded seven goals in the Champions League and whose squads are peppered with top talent and established stars.
In the Europa League, AS Roma (against Feyenoord Rotterdam) and the “old lady” Juventus Turin (against Sporting Lisbon) are among the narrower circle of favorites with their individual quality, both teams prevailed in the round of 16 without any problems and are aiming for the first title in of the Europa League by an Italian team since winning AC Parma in the 1998/99 season.
For Fiorentina, the Conference League can serve as a stepping stone to the Europa League. Qualifying for the competition via league operations should be a high hurdle for the ninth-placed team. In the Conference League, the team with ex-Frankfurter Luka Jovic won the last two knockout rounds with a total of 7: 2 and 5: 1. In the quarter-finals it’s against Lech Poznan.
| season | Number of Italian teams |
|---|---|
2022/23 | 6 |
2021/22 | 2 |
2020/21 | 1 |
2019/20 | 2 |
coincidence or trend?
Of course, luck and coincidence always play a role, especially in knockout competitions. A few actions, mistakes or brilliant moments usually decide on progress.
But a trend is emerging in Italian football. The top teams are increasingly relying on young players from Germany and abroad, and are – probably also due to the consequences of the corona pandemic – more careful with their finances (for the first time in the past ten years, the teams in Serie A recorded a transfer plus) and are successful with soccer ideas that are not typical for Serie A (see Naples).
Or, as the Italian “Gazzetta dello Sport” wrote after the round of 16 results a good two weeks ago: “The goal is no longer to be laughed at, but to be feared.”