It wasn’t long ago that the Serie A was considered dead – a worthless, uncompetitive league that had been rapidly overtaken by its English, Spanish and German counterparts.
Now, on the back of Juventus’ European success, Italian football is rising once again.
Cast your mind back to the 11th of December, 2013. Italian champions Juventus had just lost to Turkish giants Galatasaray in the Champions League and failed to make it past the group stage.
Just a few months later Atletico Madrid resoundingly knocked the lone Italian hope, Milan, out of the Round of 16 after a 5-1 win on aggregate.
Italian football was deemed a joke, with even its biggest and brightest stars unable to match it with the fourth-best teams in other leagues.
They failed on the European scene they once dominated.
The way in which Juventus claimed their third title in a row, 17 points in front of their nearest competitor, after finishing with a nine-point lead the season before only fuelled claims that a competitive edge had been lost on the Serie A.
People have short memories in sport, and it seems that pundits and fans alike forgot that in 2003, Juventus and Milan battled it out in the Champions league final.
They may also have forgotten that both Milan-based teams won the Champions League in 2007 and 2010 respectively, showing that they had the upmost stature among Europe’s best just three years before the supposed collapse of a footballing empire.
With that being said, followers of the league did their best to remember the 2006 Calciopoli scandal that saw Juventus relegated, tarnishing the reputation of what was arguably the world’s best league at the time.
Many would suggest that this was the beginning of the end for Italian football, that it was the catalyst for its fall from grace.
With the way AC and Internationale Milan performed in the following years, as well as how the national team made the Euro final in 2012, we can gather that the people who said such things are probably the same people who thought Andrea Pirlo’s career was finished in 2011.
Sure, the top Serie A teams went missing in Europe from 2011 until now, but was it really that bad?
Was Italian football actually dead?
No, it was not.
In hindsight, surely we can admit that a three-year hiatus from European dominance has been a minor hurdle for Italian football.
Juventus now have the chance to prove all of their doubters wrong, and to firmly stamp Italy back on the map as an irreplaceable contributor to world football.
And with Napoli and Fiorentina making the semi-finals of the Europa League, it is inevitable that Italian football will rise again, leaving the haters of the last couple of seasons to question their sanity.
Let me put it this way – no English team made it past the Champions League round of 16 this year and Chelsea wrapped up the title three weeks early in a league renowned for its competitiveness. Are people going to claim that the BPL is dead?
No, don’t be so stupid.
While the BPL has a fair way to go to reach the lows the Serie A did, the comparisons cannot be ignored.
You only have to look as far as some of the home-grown and foreign talent on display to see why the league is reclaiming its stature.
Paul Pogba is the hottest young prospect in world football right now, and he joins the list of youngsters such as Felipe Anderson, Pablo Dybala, Manolo Gabbiadini, Domenico Berardi, Alvaro Morata and Mauro Icardi who are set to take the world by storm.
These names are the most exciting aspect of this resurgence, as the league is being rebuilt from the ground, up, providing that ‘individual brilliance’ and ‘fantasy’ that Ned Zelic always bangs on about.
So kudos to Juventus for pumping some much needed life back into the Serie A, and for being the beacon of hope for Italian football supporters.
The underdogs are real contenders now, but whether they can cap off their incredible run remains to be seen.
Nonetheless, it’s clear that the Serie A is well and truly back from the dead, even if it wasn’t really dead to begin with.
Hulk
Guest
You have zero credibility in footballing matters. You're arrogance and ignorance is only exceeded by your inability to recognize that TV rights and attendances dont equate to football quality. Your avatar is also a joke.
Evan Askew
Guest
@ Andy, Re the hate for the EPL, I'm only speaking for myself here. Its not really hate. I have English parents and watch Newcastle United occasionally as that is where the family hails from. I will also watch any EPL team that has an Australian in it. There are however a few things that get my goat about the EPL. 1 is the EPL fanboys, or Euro snobs out here who follow the EPL but don't really have a true passion for the sport or an understanding of the sport who blindly stick to the mantra that its the best league in the world. And that viewpoint is not really based on an understanding of the game but based on its market penetration and the tv money. You will often find them in the mainsteam segments of the Australian society, aka Shane Warnes revelation that he is a Chelsea fan. (I'm a dead keen cricket fan and Warnes skill with the ball makes him like a Messi of cricket, cue the non cricket fans outrage) but in all honesty if the ocker, St Kilda loving Shane Warne is a genuine football fan then I am Cersei Lannister's g string. And I am not saying SHane Warne has said anything such but you will find other mainstream media figures who have :a team" in the EPL be strident critics of the A league. For such figures praise of the EPL suits their agenda as they can then cast the A league in a mediocre light and compare AFL or NRL favourably. There is also the smug attitude of some English coaches attitude to football outside of Britain which I am sure has contributed in no small part to their continual failure at international tournaments. I recall one incident when Totenham lost to Shaktar Donetsk in the then Uefa cup in the home leg and the classical excuse by Redknapp that they didn't care as it was only the Europa league and that they were still the better team. Nevermind the fact that EPL teams outside of the then big 4 just couldn't cut it against continental opposition.
Freddie
Guest
Aha. In your opinion. So not exactly based on objective fact then, as you claim.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
If you are going to quote me, please quote me correctly. I said: "... the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga have left the Serie A well and truly behind in almost every measure. " And: "The Serie A’s average attendances lag well behind the other three leagues, and its global TV rights (for two years) were recently sold for a mere 181 million euros which is absolute chicken feed. " Oh, and did I mention that your little list is a joke?
Hulk
Guest
Imo mostly those in the English speaking world. Naturally, the Spanish speaking world beg to differ. Especially if you think in terms of them all looking toward the motherland the same way that we do.
Freddie
Guest
Over-rated by whom exactly?
Hulk
Guest
"What could possibly be wrong with a list showing the Premier League on the same level as the Argentine league?" Perhaps, appearing a clown after claiming the premier league and bundes liga "have left the Serie A well and truly behind" and said list from "credible and reputed organisation" confirming in fact you are one..maybe? Don't tell me you didn't even wiki them either. Wow and you "write" "football" articles. Good luck with that.
Hulk
Guest
"some dodgy list somewhere on the internet. " Credibility zero. See my above response to your not-so-noble attempt of weasling out of admitting when you've been wrong. Sad.
Hulk
Guest
"That link by the way is basically about as relevant as my opinion, or anyone else’s. It means absolutely nothing mate." Pretty obvious you've never heard of the "International Federation of Football History & Statistics" then.. From their wiki page: "It was founded on 27 March 1984 in Leipzig by Dr. Alfredo Pöge with the blessings of general secretary of the FIFA at the time, Dr. Helmut Käser" What you just said is wrong on so many levels. Unless of course you've run an organisation that has chronicled the history and statistics of football for over 30 years. Id even go as far as saying IFFHS juuust slightly trumps your opinion for relevance and accuracy regarding football facts and statistics. One could argue your opinion is unsubstantiated waffle and theirs is as close to fact as anyone's gonna get. It's clear you don't do any research before posting, I mean i provided you with their link and summary of their criteria, before you made further outlandish claims.. But fwiw here's their wiki link, I know that a reputed statistics organisation "means absolutely nothing" but humor me. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Federation_of_Football_History_%26_Statistics
Mister Football
Roar Guru
What could possibly be wrong with a list showing the Premier League on the same level as the Argentine league? Maybe it gets double points for the Apertura and Clausura? But even then...
Batou
Guest
Nick, your comment is too sensible for this thread now and does not include the requisite link to some dodgy list somewhere on the internet. Please try harder next time...
Batou
Guest
Wow, do you work for this IFFFFSHSH mob or something? How many times do you need to post the same link? That link by the way is basically about as relevant as my opinion, or anyone else's. It means absolutely nothing mate. If finding some list or opinion on the internet made it true then the world would be a crazy place.
Hulk
Guest
That makes two of us :) good to see you can laugh at the error of your ways
SM
Guest
Kaks, the coeffiecient points are taken as an average of all participants from a country in European competition. Equal weighting is given to the CL and EL. Italian sides as a collective have done well in Europe this season (with the exception of Inter who were appalling against Wolfsburg). Going by you logic, Portugal should have picked up a massive points haul last season and the year before with Benfica getting to the EL final on both occasions. The reality was, only one club from that country performed to a reasonable standard in those years and that's reflected in their points total. Despite apparently being a shambles, the Italians have outscored them in handsomely in the last three years.
Hulk
Guest
You said: "and how the Premier League is “over-rated.” Grow up." And I merely said, that it is, by and large, overrated. Inter fielded a team of foreigners. Welcome to the world of club football. Further bolstering the fact that the beauty of club football is in fact, the foreign input. "assumption and a chip on the shoulder mentality." No Im only dealing in objective facts. Don't shoot the messenger.
Hulk
Guest
"had Juve not made it to the finals" Loving the logic. Ok so if Real Madrid hadn't won so many European titles etc etc... And if Barcelona was in Australia we'd all be speaking Catalan :) Besides: "The associations' club coefficients rankings are based on the results of each association's clubs in the five previous UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League seasons. The rankings determine the number of places allocated to an association (country) in forthcoming UEFA club competition." Vs “The world ranking for the strongest national leagues has been determined annually by the IFFHS since 1991 on the basis of all national (championship, FA Cup) and (inter)continental (confederations & FIFA club competitions) results of the clubs.” I think you'll find that the UEFA coefficient isn't as stringent as IFFHS ranking. Either way, and let's not digress any further from the point than need be, Serie A is nothing to be scoffed at and far from what you have termed as "sensationalism" and "whipping up a storm in a tea cup". Just be balanced and give it the respect it deserves. This coming from a non-Italian neutral.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
For me what saddens me most is not so much that Italian teams are less successful on the euro stage than they once were but mostly that Italians themselves have slowly moved away from their teams. Italian stadia are among the oldest/least modern in Europe and surely it has an impact on supporters not attending games as they used to. Thing is its a catch 22 situation, clubs need money to invest in their stadium, money they don't have as attendances and memberships are down (280,000 this season for 20 clubs). Tbh dunno if the calcio can become the n1 comp in Europe it used to be. The 80s/90s, Berlusconi TV5 years etc, are behind us, we've moved on. The EPL has emerged, barca/Madrid are bigger than ever, same with Bayern and the bundesliga.
Kaks
Roar Guru
"Reading a table isn’t hard, mate." Yes, it really isnt http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/ If it was not for Juventus reaching the final, Italy would statistically be on par with Portugal "Portugal have had one good season in reason memory, 2010/11" Funny you discount the last three seasons where Benfica was runner-up in the EL twice and Quarter finalist in the CL & Sporting making it to the semi finals of the EL. In the same time span Italy only had Milan and Juventus doing anything of note, with Milan going the furthest (QF of CL)
Mister Football
Roar Guru
That gave me a good laugh and made my day! Priceless. :)
SM
Guest
Perhaps a little humility Kaks, considering how wrong you actually are. Portugal have had one good season in reason memory, 2010/11, when they dominated the Europa League in having three out of four semi- finalists. Besides that season they've only outscored Italy on one other occasion, and frankly, since Italian sides have finally realised the importance of the Europa League, don't look like doing so in the near future. Reading a table isn't hard, mate. http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method4/crank2015.html