Calcio Debate: 10 Reasons Why Italian Teams Are A Disaster In Europe

Last night, Udinese, the last Italian survivors in Europe, exited the UEFA Cup at the quarter final stage, losing 6-4 on aggregate to Werder Bremen after a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Stadio Friuli. For the second successive season, it has been a truly catastrophic campaign for the peninsula. Not a single club made it past the last 16 in the Champions League, while the now-departed Udinese were the only representatives to reach the last eight of the UEFA Cup.

The English Premier League’s dominance is so overwhelming, with three teams saturating the Champions League semis for a third year in a row, that something must be done if there is to be a return to the days from the 1990s when nine Champions League finals in 10 years, and 10 UEFA Cup finals in 11, featured Italian teams.

Here are 10 reasons for Italian woes…

1) Money, Money, Money. It is a well known fact that Serie A, just like every league in the world, cannot compete financially with the Premier League. England can offer double in transfer fees and wages, and so the top players will naturally move there. Italian clubs need serious investment from rich businessmen. This does not mean selling out to foreigners, as once you lose your identity, then there is not the same satisfaction in winning. But if teams like Roma want to succeed, then the Sensi family must trade this summer to those who can take the club forward.

2) Calciopoli. The infamous scandal from the summer of 2006 pushed Italy back at least five years. The image of Serie A was badly damaged, and this had obvious financial implications. Many top players would think twice before moving to a league that was painted as corrupt, and it was always going to be a long process to regain trust. Refereeing controversies have not helped. Worst of all, Italy’s most successful club, Juventus, were relegated to Serie B, lost four world champions, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and had to rebuild its foundations.

3) Silvio Berlusconi. Milan are Italy’s most successful club in Europe, with seven European Cup crowns. If there is one team Serie A can usually rely on to save its behind, it is the Rossoneri. When Berlusconi took over Milan in 1986, he poured millions into the club, and this fed their success. However, in recent years, despite $9.4 billion worth of personal assets, as estimated by Forbes in 2008, the 72-year-old seems unprepared to spend any real money on Milan. Whether this is due to his unpopularity as Italian Prime Minister, the financial insecurity of the country, or other political reasons, is up for debate, but the simple fact remains that if Berlusconi does not invest in Milan, then there will be no more Champions League crowns for a while.

4) Alessio Secco. "With that money available, I would have won the Scudetto and Champions League twice in a row," roared Luciano Moggi only this morning. Secco is an infamous figure among Juventus fans, and it is anyone’s guess as to how he still holds his current position after such a disastrous three years in charge. A recent Calcio Debate illustrated how Secco has made just one signing since 2006 that has strengthened the Juve first team. Incredibly he will be given the chance to waste even more money this summer. The transfer policy of other big clubs has been poor recently. Milan wrongly signed Ronaldinho, while Inter and Roma wasted big money on flops like Ricardo Quaresma, Mancini and Julio Baptista.

5) Defence. Remember the days not so long ago when Italian backlines were impossible to break down? Juventus had centre back combinations of Scirea-Gentile, Ferrara-Montero, and Thuram-Cannavaro, Milan had Baresi-Costacurta, Maldini-Desailly, and Nesta-Stam, Inter boasted Bergomi-Ferri, not to mention all the brilliant full backs such as Cabrini, Brehme, Cafu, Zambrotta and Tassotti. Today, the Juventus back four includes Grygera, Mellberg and Molinaro, while Milan field the likes of Senderos, Favalli and a 40-year-old Maldini. Italian teams always built their success from the back, and they will win nothing unless Juve and Milan in particular sign some world class defenders this summer.

6) Italy’s Strength Spread Too Thinly. Take a look at Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal, and ask yourself how many players from the other 16 teams in the Premier League would be good enough to make any of their starting XIs. You could probably count the number on one hand. In Italy, though, there are an incredible number of outstanding talents at UEFA Cup, mid-table and even relegation-outfits, who would not only play, but be stars for Inter, Milan or Juventus. Genoa have Criscito, Bocchetti, Motta, and Milito, Napoli - Lavezzi, Gargano, Hamsik, Santacroce and Maggio, Lazio – Zarate, Pandev, and Foggia, Udinese – Di Natale, Inler, Asamoah and Quagliarella, Sampdoria – Cassano and Palombo, Palermo – Kjaer, Cavani, Miccoli, Atalanta – Floccari, Doni, Torino have Rosina. You could go on and on. How strong would the Italian Big Four be if these players were all playing for them?

7) Stadiums. The country might be home to some tremendous footballing cathedrals such as San Siro and the Luigi Ferraris, but the Artemio Franchi in Siena, for example, would not look out of place in the Romanian third division. Sadly, this is not an unusual situation. Add to this a heavy-handed approach to matchday policing and the fact that the last widespread renovation of stadia took place for the 1990 World Cup and it's clear that both the attitude towards spectating, as well as the arenas themselves, need an immediate and massive change. Furthermore, there is the issue of how empty grounds are. When English teams play in Europe, they are packed full, the crowd - so close to the pitch - act as a twelfth man. In Italy, you can just about hear a pin drop five miles away in Row Z. SKY Italia, offering every game interactively live on TV, even on Sunday afternoons, are partly to blame for this. Why go to a game when you can watch it from your sofa?

8) UEFA influence. Say what you like about Italian teams, but could the referees these last two seasons have been any more against them if they had tried? Marco Materazzi and Giorgio Chiellini’s unjust red cards were big factors in the elimination of Inter last season, and Juventus this term. Roma would have defeated Arsenal had Marco Motta been awarded a blatant penalty at the Stadio Olimpico. Even last night, Werder Bremen’s Diego was gifted a spot-kick by the referee for a non-existent offence. He missed, but it was further proof that Italy’s lack of influence in UEFA is hurting them.

9) Cycles. Spain dominated the 1950s, Italy the early-to-mid 1960s, Germany much of the 1970s, England the late 70s and early 1980s, Italy the 1990s, Spain the turn of the millennium, and now once again it is England’s turn. One league cannot always rule, there will be shifts in power. Having said this, given England’s spending power, it is difficult to envisage when the Premier League’s dominance will end unless something dramatic takes place.

10) Bad marketing. The English Premier League became the best league in the world thanks to a brilliant marketing campaign. SKY began by labelling the Premier League as “the most exciting league in the world”, and this gradually evolved into “the best league in the world” - slogans repeated at every opportunity. Eventually everyone believed this, and this simple sale technique has seen the Premier League conquer markets all around the world, most noticeably in Asia and Africa, where the money pours in. The English media will use clever (if somewhat underhand) tactics of covering up any bad aspects of their league, while blowing up the ills of competitors, and what you end up with is the perfect product. Italy, on the other hand, could not sell a banana to a monkey.

What are your views on this topic? What are the reasons for Italian clubs struggling in Europe? Do you agree with the suggestions above? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think…

Carlo Garganese, Goal.com