Here come the Italians!

 

Italian football in recent seasons, was in serious jeopardy of being left behind by the other big footballing nations. All the big name players seem to be heading out of Italy for greener pastures. Italy recently slumped to fourth place behind Germany in the UEFA country co-efficient rankings and the consequence was the loss of a Champions League qualifying spot.  The Serie A response to all the criticism was being the only league in Europe boasting three sides in the last 16 this season’s UCL.

Of the top five European leagues, Serie A is only ahead of Ligue 1 in average goals per game. Italian football has always been known for its defensive approach. Started back in the 1960’s when Helenio Herrera’s Inter Milan adopted the style of play called the ‘Catenaccio’ (door-bolt), resulting in many 1-0 victories for the side that won the consecutive European Cups in 1964 and ‘65. This is changing though, albeit slowly. Walter Mazzari (Napoli), Luis Enrique (Roma) and Cesare Prandelli (Italian National team) represent the new face of Italian football. They no longer play football to frustrate opponents and fans alike with an excessively defensive set-up. The Milan sides are no longer the only teams of note from the Italian peninsula. Football in the Serie A is changing for the better and the Italian teams in Europe this year capsulize that fact.

Internazionale are regulars in the last 8 of the UCL and took the crown in 2009-10. Their city neighbours AC Milan, despite their glorious history in the competition, haven’t cleared the last 16 even once since their triumph in the 2006-07 season. Other than these two Milan sides, the influx of competitive teams from Italy into the knockout phases of any European competitions in the last 5 years has been largely minimal. The three sides in Europe this season other than the Milan teams are Napoli in the Champions league with Udinese and Lazio in the Europa League.

This year’s UCL has been a real roller-coaster ride with very unpredictable results. Napoli has emerged as a force to reckon with after beating Manchester City en route to their dramatic last match-day qualification. Post that win, the Napoli forward line has come under the spotlight as being a real nightmare for defences and an absolute joy to watch for football purists! As shown against Manchester City, Mazzarri’s side utilise the counter attack as their master plan, using the pace of Lavezzi complimenting the guile of Cavani and Marek Hamsik to get in behind defences. Napoli’s gameplan requires their opponents to attack first and this scenario nearly always leads to a great match for the neutrals.

Napoli's dangerous attacking trio.

Napoli has really created a stir with their attacking football this year in the UCL with impressive performances away from home complimenting their domination at Naples. Mazzarri’s side are very different from the other teams in the competition with their direct running and quick passing on the counter. Defensively too they press all over the pitch and are very well organized. Gone are the days when Italian sides would sit back and absorb the pressure after getting the solitary goal in Europe, watch out for Mazzarri’s side in the last 16!

Udinese put up a great show against the gunners in their champions league qualifier in which they narrowly and rather unluckily lost to the London side. Influential marksman and club captain Di Natale is scoring goals for fun in both the Serie A and Europe. Combine that with the meanest defence in the Serie A and you’ve got yourself a compact Udinese side that is really tough to beat. Udinese encapsulates a lot of what is good in the Serie A, combining defensive solidarity with great attacking talent to give you a really enjoyable side to watch. They are currently sitting pretty in third in the Serie A, a couple of points adrift of the summit and are a real contenders for the Europa League title.

Goal-machine Antonio Di Natale shows that age is no bar.

Qualifying for the knockout stages of the Europa League for Lazio was a surprise bonus following poor showings against lesser clubs such as Zurich and Vaslui. However with summer signing Miroslav Klose consistently finding the back of the net, the Laziale will be hopeful of a decent run in the competition. With creative players like Stefano Mauri coming back from injury and the hope that Hernanes hits the peaks of his last campaign, the team from Rome look like a decent side. Edy Reja’s side are not the most entertaining of the lot but can still be great to watch when they get their counter attacking football going. With the German international Klose still finding the back of the net, Lazio could go be a team to watch out for.

This could be a mammoth season for the Serie A to regain its former glory as one of the best Leagues in the world. With five teams competing in the knockout stages against Europe’s elite, the time has come to show the rest of Europe just how good they are.