Calcio Debate: Is This The Beginning Of A Renaissance For Serie A In Europe?

And then there were four. Call this premature if you will but the fact that all four Italian clubs in the Champions League this season have a very realistic chance of making it through to the last 16 does demonstrate a European renaissance of sorts for Serie A.

Granted, none of Juventus, Milan, Fiorentina or Inter are actually qualified and there is a possibility, however minute, that at the end of Matchday 6 none of the Italian sides will progress, but the probability of this happening is almost non-existent and we could see four Serie A clubs in the knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition for the first time since the second group stages were banished.

Which would, or rather could, signal the rebirth in Europe of Serie A.

As much as you try to underplay the popularity or strength of the Premier League - and indeed one can argue about this with substantial evidence until the end of the world - you cannot deny that for the past two or three seasons the power of the English clubs in the Champions League has been overwhelming. For the last two years the top four English teams have been better than their counterparts in Spain, Italy or anywhere else in Europe. And no Italian squad except eventual winners Milan in 2007 have made it to the semi-finals in the last four seasons.

This is not to suggest that this season all four semi-finalists will hail from Italy but for the first time since the last 16 stage was transformed into a knockout round there will be four Serie A clubs with a good chance of making it through to the quarter-finals.

Quite an improvement for Calcio. Since the turn of the century Italian domestic football has taken a step towards the retreat. First La Liga and then the Premier League started to gain precedence and before long what was once a league of stars and where football was as much a source of romance as of intellectualism became a league of 'boring, slow, violent, non-watchable football'. Calciopoli and the subsequent domination of Inter made the Italian top flight wane.

It's no secret that for a league to be truly noticed, its 'representatives' in the Champions League have to be in top form. Since 2005 there has been at least one English team in the final and this has been construed, or rather misconstrued, as the Premier League's superiority - again, let's remind ourselves, it shows the strength of the top four and not the entire league. Spain's representative for the past two editions have been Barcelona and last season's galactic performance of the Catalans ascertained La Liga's position as the most poetic domestic league in the world.

All of which left Serie A trailing behind but this could alter this term. Until and unless an Italian side conquer Europe no one outside the wonted Serie A followers would take Calcio seriously, but the performance of the Italian clubs in the group stage so far has done much to raise hopes, if not expectations.


Astonishingly the Italian side that have looked the most impressive are Fiorentina, a club that were staring at bankruptcy and disbandment this very decade. Unlike the 'traditional' Italian sides, the Viola have played mesmerizing football and have scored goals - and lots of goals! - and have conceded quite a number of them too in the process. So much so that they actually humiliated 'top contenders' Liverpool 2-0 at home.

Neither Milan nor Juventus have looked very convincing but both should qualify quite comfortably in the end. Juve have played in a more 'traditional' Italian way, scoring just three goals and conceding only one, while Milan's moralising 3-2 defeat of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Matchday 3 pushed them to the top of Group C. In fact, the Rossoneri could actually have virtually assured themselves of qualification had Alexandre Pato's legitimate goal not been considered illegal by the referee this Tuesday.

And speaking of goals, Inter scored two of them in the last four minutes to defeat Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine. This columnist had earlier hinted that Wesley Sneijder's presence would perhaps not be enough for the Nerazzurri to win the European Cup but the Dutchman was in fine tune on Wednesday and led his side to a dramatic win.

Yet before building castles in the air, one must remember that none of the Italian sides are through yet. Moreover, even if all of them do, then realistically only two should be considered genuine contenders: Juventus and Inter. Fiorentina do not have the experience or the defence to get beyond the last 16 stage (assuming they do not meet a similar side) and Milan's limited resources shouldn't permit them to launch a genuine assault.

But as of now, Serie A fanatics can revel in the fact that at the moment all their four representatives are going through while England have virtually lost one and Spain could lose two. Or maybe three, if Real Madrid decide to hack themselves.