History repeats itself. What has happened in this season’s Champions League so far is truly unexpected. Because no one, at the beginning of the European campaign, would have thought that Italian teams would stand out by reaching a Champions League final.
And destiny is also mocking. Italian teams in Europe are shining, despite the fact that the first matches of the group stages didn’t give much hope. An Inter team that lost immediately on the first matchday against Bayern Munich 2-0, a Juventus team that barely made it to third place after losing 5 out of 6 group stage matches, ending up with the same points as Maccabi Haifa, and a Milan team that started quietly but managed to finish second in their group.
Speaking of the Europa League, Roma finished second in their group behind Betis Sevilla, a team that was definitely beatable, while Lazio failed to get past the group stage against Feyenoord and Midtjylland. Finally, Fiorentina couldn’t top their group in the Conference League against a mediocre Istanbul Basaksehir.
But like in the best action movies, when the situation starts to get interesting, the champions emerge. What no one believed at the start of the European campaign were two things: first, the level of the players in the Italian teams competing in Europe, who seemed, especially in the Champions League, to be of a lower level compared to the other teams, and second, the low regard for the level of Italian football, perhaps thought to be too uncompetitive for European rhythms, showing weaknesses, particularly the lack of new star players. In fact, if you look at the numbers, this year Serie A spent €749.2 million, compared to £2.24 billion in the Premier League, with no purchases appearing in the top 10 most expensive transfers of the season (a list dominated by the Premier League and especially Chelsea, with Real Madrid’s Tchouameni as the only “intruder”).
Moreover, there was little confidence in this season’s signings. First, Milan, which spent a lot on a player who has yet to prove his full worth, Charles De Keteleare. In fact, the team remained the same as the previous season’s winning squad. Inter could again rely on Lukaku, who was injured right from the start, while they had to do without Ivan Perisic. Juventus had strengthened a lot but had lost Paulo Dybala, who went to Mourinho’s Roma. Roma, in fact, seemed to be the only team truly reinforced by the market, but perhaps not enough to compete all the way to the end. Fiorentina had bought Jovic, a player who has so far delivered little, while Lazio had basically remained the same. And finally, Napoli: a completely different team from previous years, with all the flags sent away, in a year when they lost Insigne, Mertens, Koulibaly, and Fabian Ruiz, they managed to have the best market in Europe, although expectations at the beginning of the year were low.
Yet, today, there are 5 Italian teams out of the 7 original participants still in the European semifinals. A fantastic result that rewards the quality of Italian football, certainly in strong development compared to previous years. And the best news is the awareness that at least one Milan team will make it to the final. After 20 years since the last time. Inter-Milan, an eternal rivalry, will make the next 6 days in Milan the hottest in years. From the last semifinal clash between Cuper and Ancelotti, where the Rossoneri came out victorious, many things have changed: first, with the new rules eliminating the away goal, the match would have gone to extra time. Moreover, compared to back then, the main points of contact are Paolo Maldini and Javier Zanetti. The first, now a Rossoneri director, led a defense that, in the three previous meetings before the return semifinal, had never conceded a goal to the Nerazzurri, and a very young Oba Oba Martins was seen running past him from behind, such was the tension of the moment. The second, Javier, had failed to convert a spectacular opportunity in the first leg, in a match where Milan was overtly defensive, as evidenced by President Berlusconi’s outbursts in the locker room at halftime, criticizing Ancelotti for not allowing his players to play more offensively.
Twenty years later, the two teams are no longer even in the same European league, belonging to different groups of foreign countries, but the magic of the Euroderby still seems the same.
Juventus is awaiting their clash with Sevilla, the kings of the cup, while Roma will face Bayer Leverkusen, and the hope of all fans, including former Polish striker Boniek, is for an Italian final, the second in a row for Mourinho’s Roma. Fiorentina will meet Basel, in a challenge that could allow them to reach a magical and historic final for the Viola squad.
The hope is that this moment will continue for a long time, but what all Italian fans can now wish for is at least one Italian team in the final of each European cup (if not four, Juventus or Roma permitting). The rest, as we know, is still to be written.
By Spampinato Antonio
